FIFA expands the scope of punishment for suspended Brazilians - 09/11/2023 - Sport

FIFA (International Football Federation) announced this Monday (11) the expansion of the scope of punishment for 11 Brazilian players involved in sports betting schemes. The sanctions, which were determined by the Brazilian Sports Court and were only valid in Brazil itself, came into force in all countries affiliated to the entity.

Three of these athletes were banned from the sport, Ygor Catatau, Gabriel Tota and Matheus Gomes. The others received hooks ranging from 360 to 720 days. According to the FIFA statement, everyone is currently “prohibited from participating in any type of football-related activity.”

The entity cited article 70 of its disciplinary code, which establishes the worldwide application of local penalties in cases of “serious infractions”. The article precisely mentions the manipulation of matches as one of the situations in which the national confederations must get in touch to request an extension of the scope of the penalty.

The 11 players listed were punished as part of Operation Maximum Penalty, by the Goiás Public Ministry. The investigation demonstrated the existence of a scheme to manipulate football matches for illicit gain on sports betting websites. Athletes were lured into, for example, committing penalties or taking cards on purpose.

Some of those punished left Brazil and signed with clubs abroad. That’s what defender Eduardo Bauermann, 27, did, who was at Santos and went to play for Alanyaspor. Shortly after FIFA’s announcement, however, the Turkish association announced the termination of the contract, “in accordance with previously established protocol”.