Brazil club Flamengo file $20 mn case against Ronaldinho

Brazilian soccer club Flamengo has filed a $20-million compensation claim against its former star Ronaldinho at a labour court.

It is the same amount the two-time FIFA World Player of the Year is seeking in unpaid wages and bonuses from Flamengo, Xinhua reported.

He quit the Rio-based club on May 31 before joining Atletico Mineiro four days later.

The club made a claim for $17.5 million in moral damages and $2.5 million for an alleged inability to attract sponsors due to Ronaldinho's behaviour.

The club's lawyers argue Ronaldinho's busy social life and lack of commitment to training had caused him to perform below expectations and tainted the team's image.

Flamengo guaranteed it had evidence of Ronaldinho's acts of undiscipline.

"This is the first part of the battle. We have proof that will allow us to win this case," the club's legal representative Rafael de Piro said Wednesday.

Ronaldinho has repeatedly denied accusations of undiscipline. In a note to his fans on his Facebook page after his departure from Flamengo, the former Barcelona and AC Milan star said he was "deeply saddened" by the manner in which he left the club.