Sportradar carried out an investigation into an alleged case of match-fixing of Crato’s matches in the Ceará Championship. From there, the Court of Sports Justice for Football of Ceará (TJDF-CE) accepted the request of the Ceará Football Federation (FCF) to suspend the State team and all tournaments held by the FCF.
In addition, the case may result in Crato losing his place in the Série D do Brasileiro. According to the portal ‘O Povo’, directors and athletes will be investigated by the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD), the CBF Ethics and Discipline Commission and the Criminal Investigation Center of the Public Ministry of Ceará (Nuinc).
With this determination, the confrontation against Ferroviário will be considered as ‘WO’ for the Cariri team, which ensured a direct place for the opponent in the semifinals of the state championship. The other results of matches played by Crato will be counted normally.
Determination of Sportradar
Sportradar was activated by the Ceará Federation after the leak of audios attributed to one of the board members and a Crato player who pointed out guidelines and combinations for goals and corners.
According to Sportradar, Crato’s team “demonstrated a flagrant and undisguised indication of match-fixing” and that “the betting patterns and current information provide indications that Crato EC was potentially complicit in the fixing of this game”.
In the request to the TJDF-CE, the entity responsible for football in Ceará reinforced that the 9-2 rout against Atlético Cearense, in the 13th round, “demonstrates a blatant indication of manipulation of results, in addition to seeming to be certain of impunity, considering that the suspicions have already been widely publicized, including national journalistic articles”.
According to the Ceará Football Federation’s legal team, teams that do not help with the investigation work will be eliminated from the competition.
Official statement from the Ceará Federation
“FCF hired the services of an outsourced company (Sportradar) to carry out a detailed investigation of possible match-fixing in the disputes of the Ceará 1XBET 2022 Championship. In view of the audio leak where it revealed a goal combination adjustment, number of corners etc.
We inform you that this Wednesday (02/16) the FCF, through its legal board composed of lawyers Leandro Vasques and Eugênio Vasques, at the request of President Mauro Carmélio, requested an Innominate Measure as an emergency and precautionary measure with the presidency of the TJDF- CE, against the Crato Esporte Clube team for the facts found by the contracted company (Sportradar), which showed flagrant and undisguised evidence of match-fixing.
In view of this, accepting the request of the FCF legal board, the president of the TJDFCE Dr. Fred Bandeira, granted an injunction suspending Crato from the competition in order to maintain the fairness of the Ceará 1XBET 2022 Championship and in favor of the “pro competitione” principle, without prejudice to the investigations in progress in the sports inquiry nº 203/2022, also in progress in the TJDF-CE.
It is also informed that the result of the game between Ferroviário and Crato, which would take place next Saturday (19), in view of the decision of the TJDF-CE, will be considered as WO of the team from the Cariri Region, under the terms of the championship regulation.
Finally, the FCF, which has already met with the Attorney General of Justice expressing its concern and requesting the support of that body in the investigation of the facts that orbit the sports scene, is also following the investigations that are also being processed within the scope of the TJDF, having sentinel and collaborative in all investigations so that we can identify those who want to tarnish the image and credibility of the event that is the Ceará football championship, punishing the culprits and purifying from Ceará football the harmful elements that try to stain it. We will not rest until everyone is exemplarily punished.”
