The presidents of Londrina and Tombense, Getúlio Marques Castilho and Lane Gaviole, stated in a statement to the Sports Betting CPI, that they did not observe irregularities in the game between their teams on May 19, 2023.
The match, won by Londrina 2-0, is under investigation by the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD). In the statement made on Wednesday (3), both directors said they had not noticed anything unusual in the conduct of referee Jefferson Ferreira de Morais.
The match raised suspicions due to a yellow card received by Tombense defender Wesley in stoppage time. The warning benefited several bets made in Aparecida de Goiânia, the city where the referee lives.
Getúlio Castilho, when questioned by the rapporteur of the Betting CPI, senator Romário (PL-RJ), denied having noticed any suspicious behavior from the referee. Therefore, he highlighted that football management was the responsibility of SM Sports at the time of the match.
“I didn’t see anything that was abnormal in terms of referees. I thought it was normal”, said Castilho.
Lane Gaviole, president of Tombense, also saw no irregularities in the referee’s decisions, as reported to the president of the CPI, Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO).
“These are moves that any referee can make. It comes from the referee’s interpretation. I didn’t see anything much”, said Gaviole.
Suspicions of game manipulation and MP-GO investigation
Senators Kajuru and Romário mentioned other suspicions of manipulation involving the two clubs, investigated by the Public Ministry of the State of Goiás (MP-GO). Among them, matches such as Sampaio Corrêa x Londrina and Criciúma x Tombense, both in the 2022 Series B.
Jorge Kajuru questioned Castilho about Londrina‘s presence in three of the four games under investigation by the MP-GO, asking if he didn’t think it was strange.
“What seems strange to me is that in the meeting with MP-GO prosecutors there was a presentation of four investigated games. Of the four games mentioned, your team is involved in three, Londrina. Didn’t you think it was strange?” asked Kajuru.
Castilho responded that he did not receive direct information from the Public Ministry. “The MP did not send anything to Londrina for us to investigate these cases either. I find it very strange, but I think they remained in the field of speculation”, he commented.
Regarding the Criciúma 2 x 0 Tombense game, Lane Gaviole said he didn’t see “anything much”. However, he mentioned that Tombense removed defender Joseph following news of his possible involvement in a betting scheme. The club later amicably terminated the player’s contract.
Finally, Kajuru emphasized the need for contractual clauses that provide for more severe punishments for players involved in match-fixing. “I wouldn’t have anything friendly with a player who did what he did,” said the senator.
