![BRAZIL-DE SOUZA-MURDER-TRIAL BRAZIL-DE SOUZA-MURDER-TRIAL](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/bruno-soccer.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
A Brazilian soccer club is facing controversy and loss of sponsors after signing a goalkeeper convicted of having his former girlfriend murdered.
The soccer club Boa Esporte signed a contract with Bruno Fernandes de Souza on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
“People run from me because of what happened in the past,” Fernandes de Souza said at a news conference.
The soccer player said he had ordered a friend to kill his former girlfriend, Eliza Samudio, and have her body fed to dogs back in 2010. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison, but last month, a judge granted him his freedom, according to the Associated Press.
Three sponsors have already withdrawn from supporting the team, The Guardian reports.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Biden Dropped Out
- Ukraine’s Plan to Survive Trump
- The Rise of a New Kind of Parenting Guru
- The Chaos and Commotion of the RNC in Photos
- Why We All Have a Stake in Twisters’ Success
- 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep
- Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
- Get Our Paris Olympics Newsletter in Your Inbox
Write to Alana Abramson at Alana.Abramson@time.com