Ink and stick

Brazilian soccer player faces criminal racism charge

AP: Prosecutors on Wednesday charged a Brazilian soccer player with racism, a crime in Brazil, for insulting an opponent in a match last month.

Prosecutors in the southern Rio Grande do Sul state charged Juventude defender Antonio Carlos after TV images showed him shouting "monkey" during a state league match on March 5.

Antonio Carlos -- who previously played with Italy's AC Roma, Brazil's Palmeiras and Santos and Brazil's national team -- faces from one to three years in prison if found guilty.

Prosecutors said, however, the player can avoid a trial if he agrees to have 10,000 handbills made with the saying, "We are all equal," and "Say no to racism." He would have to help distribute the handbills during sporting events in the city of Caxias do Sul, where Juventude hosts its matches. Caxias is about 750 kilometers (465 miles) south of Sao Paulo.

This is... interesting. Either up to three years in prison--or distribute some handbills.

Wonder how many repeat offenders they get.

Photo of Antonio Carlos from Chilean newspaper La Tercera.