Important matters in Brazilian football, such as match fixing and sports betting regulation, marked the beginning of Jurisports, the main sports law event in Brazil.
Organized by ANDD (National Academy of Sports Law), the 10th edition of the event is bringing important figures from different areas of national sport to the debate. In Brasilia, in the auditorium of the Federal Council of OAB. In Brasilia, the inaugural day brought two debate panels.
The kickoff was given by Academy President Terence Zveiter, with sports betting and the new regulation in focus. The participants were minister Sérgio Pinto Martins, Luciano Andrade Pinheiro (AND), Udo Seckelman (ANDD), as well as guests José Francisco Manssur (special advisor to the Ministry of Finance) and Federal Deputy Maurício do Vôlei.
Mansur said that, in recent years, since companies in the betting sector were allowed to operate in the country, the habit of betting was created, but still without regulation. In this sense, he explained the main points to be addressed.
“We decided to formulate a provisional measure, in view of the urgency that arises especially from cases of match fixing, the finding that today, in the Brazilian State, we live with all the negative externalities arising from betting, such as match fixing, which it is very much in vogue. But we also live with strong signs of money laundering and gambling – addiction to gambling, which is becoming a public health problem”, emphasizes the special advisor to the Ministry of Finance.
In addition to the highlighted problems, Manssur also pointed out as a deficit the issue of the government not being able to raise money with the taxation of betting, in the current scenario.
“In this provisional measure, we deal with the basis for calculating taxation and also sanctions. We are going to require a relevant grant amount from these companies, in addition to having their headquarters in Brazil, a minimum number of employees in Brazil, and using means of payment accredited by the Central Bank. We are also going to have sanctions related to advertising, create mechanisms so that a company that is not accredited in Brazil cannot sponsor shirts from sports entities, in addition to acting in the inspection and certification of means of payment”, he explained.
The second panel of the day addressed the manipulation of competitions and criminal and sporting aspects, in the presence of Minister Amaury Rodrigues Pinto Junior, Luiz Fernando Aleixo Marcondes (ANDD), Pedro Mattei (ANDD), and Paulo Schmitt and Tiago Horta Barbosa, as guests .
On the subject in question, Mattei referred to the latest news regarding recent cases of manipulation, involving “integrity, enticement, athletes with misconduct in order to obtain gains through betting”, but stressed that “little has been said about the athlete.
“When looking at football and analyzing the athletes hired by the big teams, the main ones in Serie A, we are talking about a tiny portion. But thinking about the majority of athletes in Brazil today are real workers. They receive low wages, when they do. They are mistreated, have terrible working conditions”, he pondered.
In addition, Mattei also points to an educational deficit of Brazilian players: “Thinking about it all, I came to the conclusion that we are facing a systemic, structural problem. When you see manipulation taking place, we are facing an educational crisis. For example, is the criterion for athletes to be registered in the youth categories to have educational complementation enough to educate and form a citizen? The Brazilian public educational system deserves criticism, without a shadow of a doubt. Is trusting him enough to require an athlete to have a moral and ethical conduct?”, he reflected.
Panels continue this Friday, covering topics such as club league, broadcast rights, eSports and SAFs. This is the 10th edition of Jurisports, established in 2013, with the aim of improving discussions around national sports law.
