The Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) has set a new date for the hearing of Bruno Henrique, Flamengo striker. The hearing will take place on Thursday (29), at 3 pm. The player is being investigated for suspected involvement in a sports betting manipulation scheme.
The initial session was scheduled for Monday (26). However, Bruno Henrique was unable to attend due to a schedule conflict with Flamengo’s training
The 34-year-old striker is being investigated for match-fixing. The investigation involves a yellow card he received during the 2023 Brazilian Championship Series A, in a match against Santos.
In addition to Bruno Henrique, the STJD will hear nine other suspects. In the criminal sphere, the Federal Police indicted the athlete. Maxwell Borges de Moura Vieira, vice president of the STJD, is acting as the auditor processing the case.
The player may be charged under Article 243-A of the Brazilian Code of Sports Justice, which deals with “manipulating the result and harming his team.” The penalty ranges from a fine to a one-year suspension.
Investigation details
The Federal Police indicted Bruno Henrique on April 14 for possible fraud in a sports competition. In total, ten other people are also being investigated. The following day, Flamengo stated that it had not been officially notified about the investigations.
Investigators found compromising messages on the cell phone of Wander Nunes Pinto Júnior, Bruno Henrique’s brother. The police seized the device and analyzed 3,989 conversations on the player’s WhatsApp.
Yellow card messages
According to a report by the Metrópoles portal, conversations between Bruno Henrique and his brother Wander suggested manipulation so that the striker would receive the third yellow card in a specific match.
The game took place on November 1, 2023, between Flamengo and Santos, for the Brazilian Championship. The match was played at Mané Garrincha, in Brasília-DF. On that occasion, the number 27 received two yellow cards and was sent off in injury time.
Wander asked: “Uncle, do you have 2 cards in the Brasileiro?
Bruno Henrique replied: “Yes”
Wander continued: “When (the) people tell us to take the 3, call us, ok lol”
The attacker’s response was: “Against Santos”
Then Wander asked:“How many weeks from now?”
Bruno Henrique wrote: “Look there on Google”
Wander: “October 29th”, “I wonder if you’ll be able to stay until then without a card, lol”
The striker said: “I’m not going to complain. Only if I hit someone hard”
Wander concluded: “Good, I’m going to save the money, a successful investment”
According to the investigation, Bruno Henrique had passed on privileged information to his brother. Therefore, the messages referred to the possibility of receiving a yellow card in the game against Santos.
According to the results, Wander bet R$380.86. The return was R$1,180.67 in that match. Thus, he was part of the first group of bettors, along with other family members, such as Poliana Ester Nunes Cardoso (cousin) and Ludymilla Araújo Lima (sister-in-law). The second group had six other people.
Who is Wander, Bruno Henrique’s brother?
Just like the Flamengo striker, Wander also stands out in football, but in the amateur segment. Known as Juninho Neymar, he plays as a striker in the main amateur leagues of Belo Horizonte and Minas Gerais.
In short, the athlete won several titles in the state and is one of the best-known names in local amateur football.
Origin of the investigations into Bruno Henrique
Investigations began in August 2024, after betting operators identified suspicious movements linked to the card received by Bruno Henrique against Santos, in 2023.
Three sportsbooks sent out alerts about atypical bets: KTO, Betano and Bet da Galera. The notifications appeared through newly created accounts minutes before the start of the match.
On November 5, 2024, 12 search and seizure operations were carried out. The actions took place in Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Vespasiano, Lagoa Santa and Ribeirão das Neves. The operation, called Spot-Fixing, refers to the manipulation of specific situations in games.
During the course of the investigation, Flamengo chose not to remove the player.
Athlete’s statement
After Flamengo won the Copa do Brasil title, Bruno Henrique spoke to the Sportv channel, reaffirming his innocence.
In the interview, the player declared: “Yes (I am innocent). I received (the operation) in an aggressive way. I didn’t expect it the way it was, but I believe in justice up there.
God is a guy who always knows. My life, my trajectory, since I started playing football. God has always been with me. And, man, I’m calm about that.”
