Bayern Munich's Brazilian defender Breno, arrested and taken into custody Saturday on suspicion of causing a fire that destroyed his house, is unlikely to flee the country, his psychiatrist insisted Monday.
Prosecutors arrested Breno and judged him a risk of flight or obstruction of justice, district attorney Thomas Steinkraus-Koch told SID sports news agency at the weekend but Professor Florian Holsbauer said he believed Breno did not need to be kept under lock and key.
"I do not want to say that the prosecutor has got it wrong - but I do not believe the fear (there is a risk) of aggravating the facts or of flight," said Professor Holsbauer.
The professor, head of the renowned Max-Planck Psychiatry Institute and an expert on depression, added he had found Breno to be "a kindly person, open to others" and he could "not imagine he set fire to his own house or is capable of aggravating the act."
The professor added that he had the impression Breno was, however, somewhat detached from his immediate environment and was "isolated.
"And now he is sat in prison," he noted.
Steinkraus-Koch maintains there is "a precise suspicion" of attempted arson against the 21-year-old player, whose luxury villa in the Munich suburbs went up in flames on Monday evening.
Breno, who joined Bayern from Sao Paulo in 2008, had been briefly hospitalised for smoke inhalation after the blaze at his house, which is reported to have started in a guest room in the basement.
The property in the suburb of Gruenwald was completely gutted, but Breno's wife Renata, their son and two children from Renata's previous relationship were not at home at the time.
The cost of the damage ran to millions of euros.
Professor Holsbauer said that psychological issues had to be addressed with sportsmen as with anyone else.
"Professional football is not just a question of injured muscles or knees but one also has to deal with the psyche, the injuries in the brain," he opined.
German media had revealed Friday that Breno -- full name Vinicius Rodrigues Borges -- had consulted a doctor at the Institute at his employers' behest and Bayern confirmed as much.
According to press reports, the centreback's mental state could have been affected by the fact he is suffering from chronic knee pain that could threaten his career.
Breno has yet to make an appearance this season and has made just 21 league appearances in three seasons, after also spending six months on loan to Bundesliga side Nuremberg.
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Source: AFP
