A Brazilian soccer club is facing controversy and loss of sponsors after signing a goalkeeper convicted of having his former girlfriend murdered.

The soccer club Boa Esporte signed a contract with Bruno Fernandes de Souza on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.

“People run from me because of what happened in the past,” Fernandes de Souza said at a news conference.

The soccer player said he had ordered a friend to kill his former girlfriend, Eliza Samudio, and have her body fed to dogs back in 2010. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison, but last month, a judge granted him his freedom, according to the Associated Press.

Three sponsors have already withdrawn from supporting the team, The Guardian reports.

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Write to Alana Abramson at Alana.Abramson@time.com.