Richarlison has accused Brazilian senator Flavio Bolsonaro of taking control of his private island and says he wants federal police to investigate. The Tottenham forward says he bought the island between 2020 and 2021, and that the dispute has now moved beyond a private sale into a public fight over what happened next.
The island dispute
Richarlison says Bolsonaro was among several potential buyers and used a drone to film the island from above. He added that the pair, along with Willer Tomaz or Willian Tomas depending on the report, went there and took possession in 24 hours.
Speaking to goal.com, Richarlison said: "I did not want to sell him the island." He also said, "Since I refused, these people took advantage of the situation in court."
Another part of his account was even more direct. "That is where the justice system failed. To my knowledge, they took the island without paying a single penny. I invested about 10 million reals (£1.4m/$1.7m) there and I have recovered nothing," he said.
Tottenham context
The island row lands while Tottenham continue to leave Richarlison on the margins. He has been omitted from the club's 25-man Premier League roster, made one league appearance this season, and played 68 minutes against Brentford.
That is a bleak backdrop for a player who says he is now asking the federal police to help and investigate the case properly. Richarlison said, "I want to recover my money, not get the island back," which leaves the issue firmly in the legal and political lane rather than the football one.
Spurs' position in the table only adds to the noise around him, but the immediate story is the allegation itself. Richarlison says the island was taken in 24 hours, and he is now pushing Brazilian federal police to look into it.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
