A bombastic statement was made by the owner of SAF do Botafogo last Monday (22). John Textor surprised when he talked about match-fixing in Brazilian football.
Thus, in an interview with the GE portal, the director revealed that the company’s reports “Good Game!” identified manipulation by Botafogo players themselves in a 2023 Brazilian Championship match.
John Textor says he has no doubts about the assessment
“When I became so committed to this and came to believe in it after seeing the effectiveness of the technology tested in other places, like in courts and prisons. I believed it, right? And then I said: I need to have explanations for some things that happen in our game “, stated John Textor.
Thus, the American businessman highlighted that, despite having clear evidence, he decided not to reveal the names of the players, or the match in question. For now, the director prefers to maintain secrecy.
“I’m not going to say. Because they deserve to [defend themselves]. No matter how good the evidence is, no matter how much technology has been tested for 10 years. Now it’s even better technology. It’s boring, right? Because I know these players. They don’t they are more in the rotation”, he explained.
Textor also mentioned that he handed over the evidence to the responsible prosecutor and used the situation to send a message to club owners around the world.
“I’m not going beyond that. I turned this evidence over to the prosecutor. So, it’s a message to all the team owners in the world, I’m not just pointing it at you. I’m pointing at us,” he said.
Botafogo owner is punished for ‘useless evidence’
At the beginning of July, the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) released a detailed report on the case. Auditor Mauro Marcelo de Lima suggested a six-year suspension sentence and a fine of R$2 million for Textor, claiming that the evidence presented by “Good Game!” they were “useless”.
Then, the report criticized the technology used by the businessman, stating that the Match-Fix and Ref-Eval systems do not work as promised and that the trust placed in them is an “almost well-intentioned illusion”.
Furthermore, the STJD concluded that Textor’s actions constitute illegal sporting acts, affecting the honor of seven clubs and several athletes and referees. Among the clubs mentioned are Palmeiras, Grêmio, Bahia, Flamengo, Atlético-MG, São Paulo and Fortaleza.
Botafogo’s next commitments are:
- São Paulo (Away) – 07/24, 7:30 pm (Brasília time) – Brasileirão
- Cruzeiro (Home) – 07/27, 9:30 pm (Brasília time) – Brasileirão
- Bahia (Home) – to be confirmed – Copa do Brasil
