During their testimony to the CPI for the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting this Monday (29), representatives of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) reiterated the entity’s commitment to ensuring the integrity of national football.
CBF Competitions Director, Júlio Avellar, emphasized the challenges presented by the growing unregulated betting market, highlighting the risks this entails for sport and the economy.
He outlined a series of initiatives underway by the CBF in partnership with entities such as FIFA and Conmebol, aiming to mitigate these risks and promote the professionalization of Brazilian football.
Avelar highlighted that the CBF has led global efforts against match-fixing, counting on international support for its more than 100 initiatives.
One of the strategies mentioned by Avellar is Brazil’s accession to the Macolin Convention. This convention is an international legal framework to combat the manipulation of sports results.
He highlighted the importance of this adherence as part of an integrated national strategy in this regard. The leader also highlighted the fundamental role of the convention in this fight.
Additionally, Avellar suggested partnerships with international organizations, such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The objective is to implement programs to combat corruption in sport, such as the Global Program to Safeguard Sport against Corruption and Crime.
VAR and IA are mentioned during the CPI session on results manipulation
According to Avelar, the CBF has been recording a decline in suspected cases in national football. In 2022, there were 139 cases, involving several competitions and divisions. Last year, there were 110. This year, there were 15 suspicious situations.
According to the director, this decrease is due to monitoring measures and more severe punishments, whether in the sporting or criminal sphere.
Romário questioned whether the VAR (referee auxiliary video) could identify suspicions of manipulation. In response, Júlio Avelar stated that the CBF uses the standard deviation methodology.
He admitted that artificial intelligence (AI) could be used in the future, but said he was unaware of the use of VAR by AI in any official championship. “The CBF is willing to use any tool that can be used to combat result manipulation,” he responded.
Also in response to Romário, director Eduardo Gussem said that the CBF signed an agreement with the Federal Police and the Ministry of Justice to develop the athlete’s passport. Document in which the CBF records specific confidential information about the athlete and passes it on to public authorities in suspected cases.
Gussem stated that, in the case of suspected involvement of a player with match manipulation, the CBF analyzes the evidence and forwards the material to the authorities, who in turn will conduct the investigations.
“Working is our obligation, especially because every day something new appears on the subject of this CPI”, concluded Kajuru, who called a new meeting of the commission for the 13th, to hear from former referee Glauber Cunha.
