Saudi league player jailed for Jesus tattoo

Juan Pablo Pino, a player in the Saudi national league, was jailed for displaying his religious tattoos in public while attending a Riyadh shopping centre.

THIS MIGHT BE hard to believe, but the Saudi Arabian mutaween (moral police) aren’t huge fans of Christian iconography. They’re also not really that into tattoos, either.

So, when Juan Pablo Pino, a Columbian-born footballer currently plying his trade in the Saudi domestic league, decided to bear his tattoo of Jesus Christ while wandering around a Riyadh shopping centre, things were never really going to end well.

Outraged members of the public complained and, within minutes, the Ligue 1 veteran found himself in custody.

Pino has since expressed “deep sorrow” for his actions, CNBC’s Rick Chandler reports:

“Pino, who plays in the Saudi league, has expressed “deep sorrow” for his actions and said he respects the laws of the country. He was released from custody when a team delegate arrived and discussed the matter with the police.”

Looks like the winger will be spending the remainder of his loan period on the Gulf peninsula wearing long-sleeved shirts.

Of Course

Author

Conor Nagle

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