A Brazillian court has barred Brazil and Barcelona football legend, Ronaldinho from leaving the country over fines his charity foundation owes for breaking environmental rules.

The judgment by Judge Newton Fabricio means that the 38-year-old former World’s Best Footballer who is scheduled to appear at the Dubai International Sports Conference this week would not be making the trip to the United Arab Emirates.

In his ruling, Judge Fabricio ordered that the international passports of Ronaldinho and his brother, Assis Moreira be handed over to the authorities.

The seizure order was made to guarantee the payment of a £1.75million fine imposed on the duo for breaking environmental construction regulations four years ago.

They were prosecuted for causing damage to the environment in the building of the Ronaldinho Gaucho Institute in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre.

Although the charity works with young and impoverished people in the city and has been lauded for its work, authorities are still demanding that the fine be paid as prosecutors say Ronaldinho and his brother have been impossible to pin down over the money.

When the judge first ordered that the passports be seized in November, Ronaldinho was out of Brazil and he continued travelling around the world before eventually returning to his home country for the Christmas period.