Flamengo Regatas Club condemns the attempted assault on defender César Martins, his wife, and their two-year-old son. The cowardly act occurred as the defender was leaving a supermarket near Arena Carioca 2, the site of the Flamengo-Bauru basketball game. 

Harassed by alleged fans, the defender entered the vehicle with his family, who were immediately attacked with kicks and punches, with a car window broken by the vandals.

This kind of behavior, from a cowardly minority, is inconsistent with the democratic nature of Flamengo. Flamengo hopes the authorities will identify and punish those responsible, whether they are Flamengo fans or not.

Below, the athlete's report.

"Today, a group of criminals—because they can't be called fans—surrounded my car, where my family and I were, as we were leaving a supermarket. Besides cursing, they threw beer cans, and my car window was broken. My wife and son were quite scared. Thank God, despite the scare, we're fine. I have a current contract with Flamengo and I never said I wouldn't play for the club anymore. I'm available, as I always have been, to defend Flamengo's colors. I accept the demands that are made on the field and in a healthy way. But unfortunately, there are still people like this who use football to commit crimes. Thank you for the messages of support!"

With Cesar Martins, the Flamengo team trains at CT George Helal this Friday and continues preparations for the duel against Ponte Preta, Sunday, 11 am, in Campinas.