Zona de Azar Brazil – Brazil: CPI of Sports Betting to Hear Player Lucas Paquetá

Brazil.- July 24, 2024 www.zonadeazar.com The CPI of Game and Sports Betting Manipulation, which is expected to be extended until the end of the year, wants to hear from player Lucas Paquetá, of the English team West Ham and the Brazilian national team, in the second half of the year.

The requests to invite the athlete were submitted by the committee’s president, Senator Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO), and the vice-president, Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE), and were approved on June 18.

Jorge Kajuru and Eduardo Girão consider it essential for the CPI to hear Lucas Paquetá’s testimony. The lawmakers point to reports in the press that the player was allegedly reported by the English Football Association (FA) for misconduct related to betting in four Premier League matches.

In their requests, Kajuru and Girão mention the formal accusation, which states that Paquetá allegedly forced yellow cards in four matches between November 2022 and August 2023.

“The facts had repercussions in Brazil because dozens of bettors residing in the player’s hometown area (Paquetá Island, in Rio de Janeiro) bet on the athlete’s yellow cards and, therefore, were entitled to winnings,” Kajuru states in the justification for the invitation request.

The date for Paquetá’s appearance before the CPI has yet to be set.

Extension

Kajuru stated that there is sufficient evidence to extend the CPI’s work at least until December, due to the arrival of new documents. According to him, the commission has received new files from the Federal Revenue Service and the Federal Police that need to be analyzed.

Additionally, the CPI president highlighted that more than 300 football matches are suspected of match-fixing. For the parliamentarian, these facts justify the request to extend the commission, whose work would end on October 7.

The parliamentary inquiry commission was established on April 10, with an initial term of 180 days, to investigate facts related to allegations and suspicions of match-fixing in Brazilian football, involving players, officials, and betting companies.

— We will work until the Christmas recess. That is our position because, in addition to what we received from the Revenue Service and the Federal Police, all very serious, we have 109 matches that confirmed match-fixing through the company Esporte Radar, contracted by the CBF [Brazilian Football Confederation].

We have another 200 matches, from 2020 to today, with suspicions of manipulation. From 109, we have increased to 309 matches. I believe, then, that the request to extend this CPI is justified — declared Kajuru in an interview with TV Senado on July 11.

Recruitment

On June 11, the Attorney General of the Public Ministry of Goiás, Cyro Terra Peres, and the Justice Prosecutor Fernando Martins Cesconetto, stated in the CPI that players were recruited to intentionally receive yellow or red cards. They spoke about Operation Penalty Maximum, which investigates a group accused of offering money to football players to receive on-field penalties.

Investigations into match-fixing in the state of Goiás began in November 2022, following a complaint by Vila Nova Futebol Clube president Hugo Jorge Bravo, who is a military police officer. The president of the team, based in Goiânia, reported manipulation in three matches of the Brazilian Championship’s Serie B to favor bettors.

According to the witnesses, athletes were also used to deliberately hold a partial loss for a specified time in exchange for bribes of up to R$ 500,000.

The committee also heard from, among others, members of the CBF and the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD), on-field and VAR (video) referees, and football club officials — such as Palmeiras president Leila Pereira and Botafogo’s SAF (Anonymous Football Society) owner, businessman John Textor.

Senate Agency (Reproduction authorized with citation of the Senate Agency)

Source: Senate Agency
Editor: @_fonta www.zonadeazar.com