Corinthians Terminates Jô’s Contract After Controversy Off the Field

On Tuesday, June 7th, Corinthians faced Cuiabá in the 10th round of the Brazilian championship and despite losing a crucial game away from home, the team’s performance was not the main talking point after the loss.

Jô, one of Corinthians’ strikers and most prolific goalscorers, was filmed enjoying the night while his teammates were losing a game on the road. The forward, who is recovering from a trauma to his left leg, has not played for Corinthians since May 26th, after injuring himself during the final round of the Copa Libertadores group stage.

The incident sparked controversy regarding the player's commitment and loyalty to the club, as plenty of fans saw it as an unprofessional act by the player. Corinthians’ supporters are no strangers to Jô’s loyalty issues, since he has already been involved in other controversies off the field. Last December, Jô was seen at a party right after Corinthians lost the last game of the 2021 season. To make matters worse, the party he attended was thrown by Douglas Costa, who at the time, had just gotten relegated to the second division with Grêmio. Without even warning his family about his whereabouts, Jô disappeared for three days after the party, which eventually led him to announce the end of his marriage on social media: I Jô, made a mistake with my family once again! I let down the woman who always helped me during the worst times of my life. That's why I ask you not to attack her, but to attack me, I'm an idiot for letting myself go. I'm going to live life my way, only now alone.

Tuesday's incident was Jô's last controversy as a Corinthians player because his contract was terminated on Thursday, June 9, with both the club and player willing to part ways. The striker still had one year left on his contract, but after expressing his desire to leave the club without even wanting to be paid the rest of his salary, the team accepted his decision.

Nobody knows what the future holds for the 35-year-old, but the athlete has already ruled out retirement as one of his options. Despite his problems off the pitch, Jô certainly established himself as a club legend, scoring 65 times in 284 appearances during his three stints with the club, winning two Brazilian championships and two state championships.

Bibliography:

ESPN.com.br. “Corinthians Rescinde Contrato Com Jô De Forma Amigável Após Atacante Ser Flagrado Em Pagode.” ESPN.com, 9 June 2022, https://www.espn.com.br/futebol/artigo/_/id/10490821/corinthians-rescinde-contrato-jo-forma-amigavel-apos-atacante-ser-flagrado-pagode.

ESPN.com.br. “Jô É Filmado Em Roda De Pagode Durante Jogo Do Corinthians Contra o Cuiabá No Brasileirão.” ESPN.com, 8 June 2022, https://www.espn.com.br/futebol/artigo/_/id/10484158/jo-filmado-roda-de-pagode-durante-jogo-corinthians-contra-cuiaba-brasileirao.

Jovem Pan. “JÔ Anuncia Fim De Casamento Após 'Desaparecer' Por Três Dias: 'Sou Um Otário'.” Jô Anuncia Fim De Casamento Após 'Desaparecer' Por Três Dias: 'Sou Um Otário' – Jovem Pan, Jovem Pan, 13 Dec. 2021, https://jovempan.com.br/esportes/futebol/corinthians/jo-anuncia-fim-de-casamento-apos-desaparecer-por-tres-dias-sou-um-otario.html.

“Jô Descarta Aposentadoria Pós-Corinthians e Vai Ouvir Propostas.” Ge, 9 June 2022, https://ge.globo.com/futebol/times/corinthians/noticia/2022/06/09/jo-descarta-aposentadoria-pos-corinthians-e-vai-ouvir-propostas.ghtml.

“Jô Falta A Treino Do Corinthians Após Pagode e Será Punido.” Ge, 8 June 2022, https://ge.globo.com/futebol/times/corinthians/noticia/2022/06/08/jo-falta-a-treino-do-corinthians-apos-pagode-e-sera-punido-pela-diretoria.ghtml.