The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on the Match-fixing and Sports Betting scheduled a session for this Monday (22), at 3 pm. John Textor, owner of Botafogo, will be the first to give a statement.
The requests for Textor’s summons were presented by the president of the CPI, senator Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO), and by the rapporteur, senator Romário (PL-RJ), in documents REQs 25/2024 and 12/2024, respectively.
Romário justifies his request based on Textor’s statements to the press, where he claimed to have evidence about the manipulation of results in several matches in series A and B of the Brazilian Championship.
According to the rapporteur, Textor reiterated his willingness to present this evidence to the competent authorities for investigation. Therefore, Romário argues that it is imperative that the owner of Botafogo exposes what he knows.
Likewise, Kajuru highlights Textor’s statements about corruption and manipulation of results, involving both referees and renowned players in Brazilian football.
The president of the CPI emphasizes the importance of the businessman’s presence as a witness, including the presentation of reports and evidence that he claims to have.
Kajuru highlights society’s commitment to the integrity of sport and the need to ensure adequate investigations.
It is mentioned that Textor also claimed to have recordings that indicate bribery of football referees, in addition to accusing five São Paulo players of performing below expectations in a match against Palmeiras in the Brazilian Championship the previous year.
The match resulted in a 5-0 victory for Palmeiras, changing the course of the competition, which ended with the title for the Alviverde team. Both Palmeiras and São Paulo expressed their intention to sue Textor for his statements.
Understand the Sports Betting CPI
The Sports Betting CPI was established on April 11, responding to a request from Senator Romário (RQS 158/2024). Composed of 11 full senators and 7 substitutes, the commission is expected to last 180 days. Therefore, it plans to investigate allegations and suspicions of match-fixing in Brazilian football, involving players, managers and betting companies.
John Textor and alleged evidence of match manipulation
John Textor, owner of Botafogo, will be the first to give a statement to the commission this Monday, following his statements about the manipulation of Brazilian Championship games.
He reiterated his willingness to provide evidence, which he initially refused to hand over to the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD), resulting in a lawsuit. However, Textor later handed them over to the police.
When asked about the possibility of presenting this evidence to senators, Textor said he was willing, as long as they could guarantee the constitutional rights of the people involved in the accusations.
