Betting mafia: steering wheel Romário is banned from the sport – 05/29/2023 – Sport

In a unanimous decision, the STJD (Superior Court of Sports Justice) decided this Monday (29) to ban midfielder Marcos Vinicius Alves Barreira, known as Romário, from football. The former Vila Nova player is named as a suspect in the first action of Operation Maximum Penalty, by the MP-GO (Public Ministry of Goiás), which investigates match-fixing schemes in Brazilian football.

In addition to being banned, the 21-year-old athlete will have to pay a fine of R$ 25,000. The judgment, which was conducted by the 1st Disciplinary Commission of the Court, had Miguel Ângelo Cançado as auditor-rapporteur.

Judged in the same case, former Vila Nova midfielder Gabriel Domingos was suspended for 720 days and fined R$ 15,000. Both players had their contracts broken by the club from Goiás.

The two athletes can still appeal the decision after the publication of the judgment, which should take place this Tuesday (30).

“The penalty for the player Romário was greater because, in addition to accepting to participate in the scheme, he tried to involve other athletes, like Gabriel Domingos himself”, he told the Sheet the auditor.

Romário was convicted under Articles 242, 191, 243 and 243-A of the Brazilian Code of Sports Justice.

BRL 150 thousand

President of Vila Nova, Major Hugo Jorge Bravo, of the Military Police of Goiás, was one of the first to denounce the scandal.

A Sheet, he said that, upon learning that defensive midfielder Romário had received an offer of BRL 150,000 to commit a penalty in a 2022 Series B match, he began to gather evidence of the case. The experience of 13 years as a police officer helped him at that moment. When he gathered elements that he thought were sufficient, he filed a complaint with the Public Ministry. It was what detonated the Maximum Penalty, in February of this year.

“There’s a feeling of disappointment. The guy can earn well and do that. Character is not associated with sex, race, social condition. Character is something you have or you don’t have. It’s something that puts the work of many people in the club, from the manager to the doorman, the cook…”, he analyzes.

In an interview with GloboEsporte.com, Romário confirmed that he had received offers from bettors.

“I had none. My mistake was accepting their money”.