The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) denied player Igor Cariús‘ request to block the criminal action in which he is accused of participating in a results manipulation scheme.
The unanimous decision was made by the court’s Sixth Panel.
The discovery of Cariús’ participation in the scheme occurred during Operation Maximum Penalty.
According to the Public Ministry of Goiás, Igor Cariús received money to deliberately receive a yellow card during a game in the 2022 Brazilian Championship, when he played for Cuiabá.
STJ rapporteur says yellow cards can influence classification
Cariús’ defense argued that his conduct did not constitute a crime, as it did not change the final result of the match. The Court of Justice of Goiás had already denied the request to block the action.
The rapporteur of the case at the STJ, minister Sebastião Reis Junior, highlighted in his decision that the number of cards received by a player can be a tiebreaker criterion at the end of a competition.
In other words, in a championship like the Brasileirão this can influence who will be champion, relegated or who will go to the Libertadores.
Therefore, the decision was not just based on the result of one game separately, as this could have repercussions on the last round. This makes sense, since the competition is played for straight points.
In the sporting sphere, they imposed punishment on Cariús, with a 360-day suspension and a fine of R$40,000. In January of this year, he managed to convert part of the suspension into a fine.
Felipe Bevilacqua, acting president of the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD), made the decision. However, upon returning to the STJD, President José Perdiz suspended Bevilacqua’s decision.
Thus, the STJ’s decision keeps the criminal action against Igor Cariús ongoing. This shows the authorities’ concern with curbing practices that could compromise the integrity of sporting competitions.
