Brazil: IBIA Issued a Match-Fixing Alert Over a Yellow Card
Brazil – April 9, 2025 – www.zonadeazar.com The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has issued a match-fixing alert regarding a yellow card received by Juventude player Ênio during the first round of the Brasileirão. The information has already been passed on to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and the Federal Government.
Ênio received a yellow card in the 36th minute of the first half after complaining to referee Paulo Cesar Zanovelli about a foul near Juventude’s penalty area. Multiple operators flagged suspicions due to an unusually high betting volume on the player’s yellow card.
According to an investigation by the portal ge, at least one betting operator reported that wagers on Ênio receiving a caution exceeded 10% of the total amount bet on the match. Typically, secondary market bets like these do not surpass 1% of the total, and anything above 3% is considered suspicious.
So far, six betting operators have issued alerts about the incident. According to the IBIA report, which ge accessed, one operator indicated that 99% of the bets in the yellow card market were placed on Ênio, while all other players combined accounted for only 1% of the total volume. Another operator reported that bets from suspicious users represented 90% of the total wagers placed on the match.
Additionally, three bettors identified among those wagering were found to be prohibited from betting. These three individuals were athletes. It’s worth noting that Law No. 14.790/2023 prohibits players, managers, referees, and coaching staff members from betting on sporting events. The CBF has already forwarded reports to the relevant authorities, including the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP).
On Friday, April 4, Ênio was removed from Juventude’s squad for Saturday’s match against Botafogo, with the club citing a transfer offer from an overseas team as the reason. However, after the match, Juventude’s head coach, Fábio Matias, clarified that the removal was due to the match-fixing investigation and that the player will remain sidelined while the inquiry is ongoing.
“We received the information on Thursday night, this alert regarding what happened, along with the club’s management. The club president informed us, and we held a meeting to decide that he would be left out of this match until the situation is resolved,” Matias explained.
“At first, we informed the team leaders on Friday morning that he wouldn’t be traveling, but I didn’t provide a reason. Once the news broke, we formally informed the rest of the squad last night. The club president, who is here with us, communicated the decision. The player will remain out until the matter is resolved. This is now in the hands of the management and the CBF, which is conducting the investigation,” the coach added.
Juventude has not yet made an official statement on the matter. Representatives of the player were contacted by ge, but there has been no response. The CBF and Sportradar, the confederation’s partner in monitoring suspicious cases, stated that they do not comment on ongoing investigations.
Edited by: @_fonta www.zonadeazar.com