Brazil to Investigate Match-Fixing on a National Level

Brazil’s Justice Minister Flávio Dino announced the launch of a national investigation that will probe its soccer scene for match-fixing. According to Dino, the results of this investigation could possibly have “international repercussions.”

The investigation comes in the wake of the suspensions of several athletes who took money by people wanting to manipulate the outcomes of matches. An investigation in the state of Goias sought to investigate fraud in the top league but was expanded into second-division games as well, with prosecutors finding that certain players took between $10,000 and $20,000 from match-fixers.

As a result, Dino warned that the Brazilian Federal Police will lead the investigation and will seek to identify fraud in professional sports.

Faced with evidence of manipulation of results in sports competitions, with interstate and even international repercussions, I am determining today that an Inquiry be instituted at the Federal Police for the legally applicable investigations.

Flávio Dino, Justice Minister of Brazil

Several Players Were Suspended Prior to the Investigation

Several players who allegedly took part in match-fixing schemes were suspended prior to Dino’s announcement. This includes the midfielder Max Alves of the Colorado Rapids, who is yet to make a comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, the investigation in Goias led to the temporary suspensions of Bryan Garcia and Pedrinho, two young local athletes. Elsewhere, Cruzeiro, Fluminense and America temporarily suspended the midfielder Richard, the defender Vitor Mendes and the right-back Nino Paraiba, respectively.

Coritiba, on the other hand, decided to suspend Alef Manga and Jesus Trindade, despite their lawyers denying that their clients were involved in match-fixing.

As of the time of this writing, none of the soccer professionals has released a statement on the matter. The players also declined to respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press, the news outlet reported.

The CBD Asked the Government to Exercise Moderation When Penalizing the Players

On Tuesday, Santos suspended its defender Eduardo Bauermann, who not only participated in match-fixing but also allegedly incentivized other players to take part in the scheme. The team coach, Odair Hellmann, said that he and the rest of the team are deeply upset by Bauermann’s actions.

In total, 16 people will stand trial for alleged ties to the match-fixing operation. The goal of the current probe, requested by the Confederação Brasileira de Desportos, is to centralize the information about the existing match-fixing cases.

The confederation added that some of the players were likely victims themselves. It urged the government to be moderate when handing punishment.