Brazil launches a federal investigation into soccer match-fixing . Brazilian authorities have opened a federal investigation into soccer match-fixing, according to a statement released on Wednesday by the nation’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security. The action was taken, according to the statement, “this Wednesday after it was revealed that athletes from Brazilian soccer’s main division clubs were suspected of working with gangs that would engage in sports betting.”
A day prior, the state of Goias charged 16 individuals with tampering with 13 soccer matches in the Serie A and Serie B of Brazil as well as the state championship in 2022 and 2023.
The Goias Public Prosecutor’s office claims that one player received $100,000 (500,000,000 Brazilian Reais) for receiving a red card, plus an additional $10,000 (40.000 Brazilian Reais) before the match. Chinese players in snooker are being investigated for an alleged match-fixing scandal.
The nation’s Justice Minister Flavio Dino tweeted, “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.”
Brazil launches a federal investigation into soccer match-fixing
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) announced in a statement that its president Ednaldo Rodrigues had asked for federal police to get involved and that the organization “will be available to provide all the necessary support.”
It continued that the championships will not be suspended, adding that it had “not yet received official notification from the authorities about the facts.”
Rodrigues stated, “I have been collaborating with FIFA, other international organizations, as well as Brazilian clubs and Federations, with the purpose of eliminating any and all forms of criminal activity, forgery, or illegal activity inside football.
“I support preventive suspension based on specific suspicions and even expulsion from the sport when warranted. Criminals ought to be excluded from Brazilian and international football.
Some Brazilian soccer teams have preemptively suspended some of their players as a result of the probe.
According to the team, a player for the Colorado Rapids, a Major League Soccer team in the United States, has been linked to the Brazilian match-fixing scandal.
The Colorado Rapids club stated, “We are aware of the reports regarding a Colorado Rapids player in connection with unlawful sports gambling,” but did not name the individual.
“We take situations of this sort seriously and work hard to uphold the game’s fairness at all times. The player has been suspended from all team activities as MLS looks into the situation.
In a statement issued by MLS on Wednesday, the league added that one former player had engaged in “illegal sports gambling” in addition to the Colorado Rapids player.
The league stressed the importance of maintaining the integrity of the game, adding that it “takes these allegations and any infraction of the league’s integrity rule seriously.”
