Brazilian football was impacted by the news of an investigation into Luiz Henrique, striker for Botafogo and the national team, for alleged involvement in match-fixing.
According to Folha de São Paulo, the player is the target of an investigation in Spain into a “criminal organization dedicated to manipulating results in sports betting”.
Luiz Henrique has a connection with a suspected businessman
The origin of the investigations goes back to Operation Maximum Penalty, carried out by the Public Ministry of Goiás (MP-GO) last year. The letter delivered by the Spanish authorities to Brazil indicates that data on suspicious invoices involving Luiz Henrique were provided by the MP-GO.
This document also reveals the creation of a criminal investigation in Spain, following reports about the player. According to the aforementioned document, Luiz Henrique is associated with businessman Bruno Lopez de Moura, alleged leader of the results manipulation gang.
Moura, according to the MP-GO’s accusations and published by Folha, had the role of mediating negotiations between bettors and players, offering remuneration for athletes to agree to manipulate matches, whether intentionally receiving yellow cards or other actions.
Thus, the first phase of Operation Maximum Penalty resulted in the denunciation of 15 athletes, most of them from lesser teams in Brazilian football. As the investigation progressed, Gaeco, a group focused on organized crimes, received additional information linking Luiz Henrique and Bruno Moura. This gave rise to deeper investigation by Spanish authorities.
Thus, the document in which Luiz Henrique is mentioned is part of a process opened in November last year, aimed at international cooperation in criminal matters. The prosecutor responsible for Operation Maximum Penalty, Fernando Martins Cesconetto, is the main interested party in this process.
In other words, this procedure takes place within the Department of Asset Recovery and International Legal Cooperation (DRCI), which deals with communication between Brazil and other nations in cases of organized crime.
Uncertainties in the club and in football
In the context of the investigations, Luiz Henrique had already been mentioned in investigations by Sportradar, a company that monitors betting. At the time, an abnormal volume of bets was alleged that predicted yellow cards for the player, then at Betis, and for Lucas Paquetá, from West Ham. The authorities paid extra attention to this episode involving the two athletes.
Botafogo bought the striker in January this year, after the episode in Spain. The investigation gained new contours when, recently, UOL brought to light transfers of R$40,000 made by family members from Paquetá to Luiz Henrique. These transactions came just days after he received yellow cards while playing for Betis.
After this information emerged, both La Liga and the Royal Spanish Federation (RFEF) reported that there are no disciplinary procedures against Luiz Henrique. Botafogo also defended the player, providing a certificate from the federation claiming that there is no “investigation or legal pending” involving their athlete.
Furthermore, Luiz Henrique’s agent emphasized that the player has already provided the necessary clarifications and denies any involvement in irregularities. The situation becomes even more complicated, as the English Federation has requested information regarding Paquetá’s case, who faces the possibility of a severe suspension.
Luiz Henrique makes a statement after Botafogo’s victory
Signed for a fee that could exceed 20 million euros, Luiz Henrique became one of the most expensive transfers in the history of Brazilian football. With his talent highlighted, he leads Botafogo, which is in the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores and is the leader in the Brazilian Championship.
In the Brazilian team, Luiz Henrique is enjoying a moment of glory, having debuted in September and scoring his first two goals during the last FIFA date, in games against Peru and Chile.
However, the shadow of the investigation could affect both his career and the reputation of Brazilian football. The attacker denied any involvement in schemes and irregularities. However, the matter resurfaced after Botafogo’s crushing 5-0 victory over Peñarol, in the first match of the Libertadores semi-finals.
When asked about the topic, right after the game, the player was emphatic: “It has nothing to do with that. I think they want to erase my shine. I know they won’t be able to. I know that God is with me, my family is with me and none of that happened,” he said.
