In a decision taken last Tuesday (7), the Rio de Janeiro Court maintained the amount of compensation that Flamengo must pay to the family of Christian Esmério, one of the fatal victims of the tragic fire at Ninho do Urubu in 2019. The club was ordered to compensate the young goalkeeper’s family for a total of R$2.9 million, after the family members chose not to reach an out-of-court settlement and seek compensation through the courts.
Christian’s parents will receive, individually, R$1.4 million each, for moral damages, while Christian’s brother was awarded compensation of R$120,000. The court also ordered that the young man’s parents receive a monthly pension of five minimum wages, which must be paid until Christian turns 45.
This pension is retroactive, starting on the date of the fire, and the R$5,000 per month already paid by Flamengo’s board of directors will be deducted from the total amount. It is important to highlight that, if one of the parents dies before the end of this period, the value of the pension will be reduced by half, as decided by judge André Aiex.
During the process, Flamengo challenged the amounts, while the athlete’s family appealed the initial decision for excluding Christian’s foster brother from compensation. The judge, however, denied this last request, arguing that the foster brother was only introduced to the case during the judicial process.
This incident, which occurred five years ago, took the lives of 10 young athletes, aged between 14 and 16, and still remains a painful landmark in the memory of the club and the sporting community. To date, there have been no criminal convictions related to the fire, a fact that continues to generate debate about safety and regulation at sports venues.
