The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting is redirecting its attention to the Superior Court of Sports Justice for Football (STJD). During a session last Wednesday (07), senators expressed concerns about the entity’s recent decisions. Thus, among the topics discussed is the punishment imposed on the owner of SAF do Botafogo, John Textor, and allegations of manipulation in Brazilian football.
Punishments and criticism of the STJD regarding sports betting
Senators Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO), Romário (PL-RJ) and Carlos Portinho (PL-RJ) criticized the STJD’s decision, which resulted in a six-year suspension and a fine of approximately R$2 million for Textor. Textor had made accusations about manipulations in football, which sparked a huge debate about the proportionality of the punishments.
Romário, CPI rapporteur, highlighted the need to convene STJD members again to clarify their decisions. He mentioned: “I think we would have to call these STJD people here again. We invited them. Now we have to call them.”
Manipulation Reports
The issue of game manipulation gained prominence after statements from sports directors. Major Hugo Jorge Bravo, president of Vila Nova Futebol Clube, was the first to denounce the manipulation of results. Bravo presented evidence to the Public Ministry of Goiás (MP-GO) about a player who had allegedly been enticed to influence a match.
Operation Maximum Penalty, which began at the end of 2022, revealed that player Marcos Vinicius Alves Barreira (Romário) had received R$150,000 to commit a penalty in a Series B game. Despite the severe punishment applied to the athlete, Bravo questioned the disparity in sentences, compared to other similar cases.
Implications for Santa Casa Global
Thus, during the same meeting, the former administrator of Santa Casa Global Brasil, Ricardo Gonçalves, was heard about an alleged debt with Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). Gonçalves denied any involvement with criminal groups and said that news about the debt may have arisen from misinformation. He explained that someone used a report he was not aware of to make the accusations.
In other words, Senator Carlos Portinho called for a deeper investigation into partners of companies that negotiated with Santa Casa Global, such as MCE and Ragdoll.
Integrity initiatives
The CPI also heard from Emanuel Medeiros, president of SIGA Latin America, who spoke about the cooperation agreement with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). Thus, the partnership aims to implement the SIGA Independent Rating and Verification System (SIRVS) to improve the governance and integrity of sports betting. Medeiros promised to release the action plan in October.
However, Portinho criticized the CBF for its slowness in adopting compliance and governance measures to prevent game manipulation. He mentioned the flaws in the implementation of communication channels and the quality of the VAR cameras.
Breach of confidentiality and future investigations
The meeting also approved the breach of fiscal, banking, telephone and telematic secrecy of Wesley Cardia, former president of the National Gaming and Lottery Association. Cardia was summoned to testify, but used habeas corpus to protect himself, only partially answering questions about an alleged bribery charge of R$35 million.
Therefore, theCPI continues to investigate the complex issues involving manipulation of games and sports betting, with a focus on ensuring greater transparency and fairness in the sector.
