The Fantástico program, on TV Globo, released new details about the sponsorship contract between Corinthians and the sportsbook VaideBet. The investigations by the Public Ministry bring to light testimonies from Antonio Pereira dos Santos, known as Toninho, and his former employee, Sandro dos Ribeiro.
Both claim direct involvement in the negotiation that promised the São Paulo club the biggest financial agreement in Brazilian football: R$370 million.
The deponents claim that they should have received commissions for brokering the contract. However, the sponsorship was stopped in June, after just six months, due to an anti-corruption clause.
According to Toninho, he and Sandro would have introduced VaideBet to Corinthians, starting negotiations. “We weren’t there for free. We were intermediating to have a commission, like there is in show business”, he stated in testimony.
Questionable clauses in the contract
A central point of the investigation is a contractual clause that determined the payment of R$25 million to the company Rede Social Design LTDA. Toninho claims that this company had no participation in the agreement.
He also mentioned constant charges to Corinthians for the amounts owed for intermediation. “The one who owed me was Corinthians. The one who receives the money is the one who pays commission”, he said.
The accusations also involve the name of Marcelinho, former advisor to former director Augusto Melo, recently exonerated. Marcelinho would have been Toninho’s main contact during the negotiations.
However, the investigation finds the existence of an orange company in the agreement. Thus, Rede Social Design LTDA, appointed as intermediary, would have received R$ 1.4 million from Corinthians. Neoway Soluções Integradas, another suspicious company, received this amount.
One detail that caught the attention of the authorities is the final destination of the money: the residence of Edna Oliveira dos Santos, in Peruíbe, on the coast of São Paulo. Edna lives in humble conditions and depends on the Bolsa Família program to survive.
Owner of VaideBet talks about the partnership with Corinthians
The São Paulo Civil Police interviewed José André da Rocha Neto, owner of VaideBet. He stated that he did not know Alex Cassundé, partner at Rede Social Design LTDA. Therefore, Rocha Neto highlighted that the company still has the right to receive R$25 million in commissions.
Therefore, the case sheds light on transparency in sponsorship contracts in national football. The current board of Corinthians, one of the biggest clubs in the country, is under pressure to clarify its relationship with VaideBet and the companies mentioned. So, the outcome of the investigations could redefine business patterns between clubs and sportsbooks.
