Jair Tavares da Silva (; born 3 August 1994), known mononymously as Jair, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga I club Petrolul Ploiești.
Career
Jair started out his senior career with Ituano in 2015, featuring sparringly for the Brazilian side before moving to AC Oulu the next year. He spent his first season in the Ykkönen on loan, after which he signed a permanent contract. In the 2018 season, Jair was voted the league's Midfielder of the Year by the Football Players Association.
In November 2018, Jair joined Veikkausliiga club Ilves, where he played for two seasons. On 13 November 2020, he chose to stay in Finland and its first division by agreeing to a two-year contract with the option of another year with HJK. On 13 June 2022, the Helsinki-based team terminated Jair's deal after media reported that he had been convicted of child sexual abuse one year earlier.
Four days after his dismissal from HJK, Jair signed a two-year contract with Romanian club Petrolul Ploiești, recently promoted to the Liga I. Petrolul stated that it took note of his conviction in Finland, but considered that his subsequent behaviour should allow him to work and provide for his family.
Personal life
In 2016, Jair was accused by a 12-year-old girl from Oulu, Finland, of kissing her and trying to put her pants down; he was aware of her age, admitted to the kiss, but denied the sexual touching. He received a seven-month suspended sentence for child sexual abuse and paid the victim a €1,500 fine.