Rio de Janeiro's lower division soccer experienced a scene as unusual as it was controversial: a player serving a sentence for drug trafficking played the first final of the Carioca Serie B2 Championship wearing an electronic ankle monitor under his sock. This is Yuri de Carvalho da Silva, a 30-year-old attacking midfielder for Goytacaz, who returned to play just seven months after being released from prison.
The midfielder entered the match in the 70th minute in the 1-1 draw against Macaé, and images of his left ankle, where the judicial device was visible, quickly went viral on social media. According to Globo Esporte, Yuri has competed all season with the electronic monitor and is serving his sentence under a semi-open regime. The footballer has not made any public statements.
Within the club, Yuri is considered a frequent substitute used for the final stages of matches. He has not scored any goals in the tournament, but some staff members describe him as a calm and supportive person, and the management is considering renewing his contract after the championship.
An internal source at Goytacaz explained that the ankle monitor "makes it difficult for him, but doesn't prevent him from playing" and that neither the Serie B2 regulations nor those of the Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation (FERJ) contain explicit prohibitions for footballers under judicial monitoring.
Yuri's case has a long background: he was arrested in 2018 for drug trafficking and spent seven years in the Dalton Crespo de Castro Custody House, in Campos dos Goytacazes. In May, he obtained progression to the semi-open regime and since then has served his sentence under electronic surveillance. Goytacaz requested that the court remove the ankle monitor, but the request has not yet been solved.
