Zona de Azar Brazil – Brazil: “This is Football” Was Just an Unexpected Defeat

Brazil – November 29, 2024 www.zonadeazar.com During the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into Game and Sports Betting Manipulation (CPIMJAE) on Wednesday (27), Jorge Luiz Pacheco Eloy, president of Esporte Clube Nova Cidade de Nilópolis (RJ), stated he sees no connection between the comeback loss to Belford Roxo in the U-20 match and the high volume of bets on the outcome. He defended the club’s integrity but recalled that, at the time of the questioned match, the team was under outsourced management.

The hearing followed a request (REQ 164/2024 – CPIMJAE) by committee president Senator Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO) regarding developments from Operation VAR, initiated by the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police at the request of the Rio de Janeiro Football Federation (Ferj). Civil police identified evidence of criminal activity in clubs Nova Cidade, Belford Roxo, São José, Brasileiro, and Duquecaxiense.

Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE), presiding over the meeting, highlighted the U-20 state championship third division match on June 5, where Nova Cidade led Belford Roxo 3-1 at halftime but lost 5-3—a “highly improbable comeback” accompanied by an unusual betting volume in Asia, catching compliance authorities’ attention.

Eloy explained that Ferj suspended both clubs on suspicion of match-fixing, but the Rio de Janeiro State Football Sports Justice Tribunal (TJD-RJ) acquitted them. Despite the term “tribunal,” the TJD-RJ is a private administrative body and not part of the judiciary.

The Nova Cidade president admitted he did not watch the suspected match but cited the Palmeiras vs. Botafogo comeback in the 2023 Brazilian Championship, saying, “This is football.”

— “At first, there’s no suspicion, no alleged suspicion of manipulation. The youth team demands a lot physically. Unfortunately, we don’t have competent professionals acting as fitness trainers. They play well in the first half but, in the second half, may lose steam, just like Botafogo did: they ran out of stamina and conceded four goals,” he assessed.

Responding to Jorge Kajuru’s question read by Girão, Eloy also dismissed any link between the unfavorable outcome and suspicious bets. He claimed to be unaware of “clear and indisputable evidence” about the betting scenario, which allegedly turned R$5,000 into R$200 in Asian bets. This was not mentioned during the TJD-RJ proceedings, and he stated he did not know of anyone linked to the club involved in betting.

He considered it “natural in football” for the U-20 coach, Ede Vicente, to be dismissed after two consecutive losses. Vicente was also responsible for outsourced team management and the transfer of standout players to other clubs. However, the club president questioned the outsourced management and expressed readiness to seek “remedies” from the company.

— “I feel embarrassed for associating the club’s name with a company we believed to be trustworthy, one we thought could represent Brazilian football in Rio de Janeiro at the appropriate level.”

The president stated the contract with the company did not involve money but rather the “promotion of certain players.” According to him, private agents or companies in the field often approach the club proposing similar partnerships. Eloy emphasized that, during his 11 years leading Nova Cidade, this was the first time the club accepted a company to manage the U-20 team.

— “We never did this because we’re a humble, third-division club without resources or support. Third, fourth, and fifth-division clubs are often at the mercy of companies, agents, or sponsors to help fund competitions, which are very expensive,” he clarified.

Jorge Luiz Pacheco Eloy stressed that the club does not condone players being targeted for sports betting. He argued that the ideal solution would be to eliminate betting houses, allowing the return of a “vibrant football culture.”

Similarly, Girão expressed concern over the global reach of sports betting, which he said is harming a “significant asset of the Brazilian people.”

— “You see how far gambling has spread, destroying football and alienating fans. Many are losing interest because they don’t know if the game is fixed or not. This has worsened significantly with sports betting.”

Editó: @_fonta www.zonadeazar.com