Goiás MP operation targets bets and puts six Serie A games under suspicion – 04/18/2023 – Sport

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The Goiás Public Prosecutor’s Office and authorities from five other states carried out this Tuesday (18) the second phase of Operation Maximum Penalty, which targets manipulations in sports betting.

According to the prosecutors, the investigations began in Serie B of the Brazilian Championship, but have already placed six games in the first division of 2022 under suspicion. They are: Palmeiras 2 x 1 Juventude, for the 26th round, Santos 1 x 1 Avai, Bragantino 1 x 4 América-MG, Goiás 1 x 0 Juventude and Cuiabá 1 x 1 Palmeiras, for the 36th round, and Botafogo 3 x 0 Santos, for the 37th round.

In all these matches, according to the investigation, players from one of the two teams were harassed to receive a yellow card or a red card — this one in the Botafogo and Santos game. According to the MP, the proposals for the players to carry cards on purpose were not necessarily accepted. The recruiters’ proposal was between R$ 50,000 and R$ 60,000 per event.

Three preventive arrest warrants and 20 search and seizure warrants were served. The operation took place in 16 cities and six states. There were four players among the targets: Victor Ramos, from Chapecoense, Igor Cariús, from Sport, Gabriel Tota, who played for Juventude and transferred to Ypiranga-RS, and Kevin Lomónaco, from Red Bull Bragantino.

According to promoter Fernando Cesconetto, coordinator of the operation, it is possible that other games were manipulated, as the investigation was initiated in November 2022, near the end of the championship. The match between Palmeiras and Juventude, valid for the 26th round and held in September, entered the radar because an athlete told investigators about the enticement attempt.

Prosecutor Rodney da Silva compared the results of the investigation so far to the tip of an iceberg. And he suggested that football move forward on “compliance” measures.

“We have to bring this discussion to the CBF. […] It is a time for reflection on the role of bookmakers as supporters of football itself, state federations and especially clubs and athletes”, he said.

The MP from Goiás also identified attempts at enticement in five matches of the 2023 state championships held between February 8 and 12 in Goiás, Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo, with proposals ranging between R$ 70,000 and R$ 100 thousand.

On February 8, there was a proposal for a yellow card in the duel between Guarani and Portuguesa, for the Campeonato Paulista. On February 11, for the Campeonato Gaúcho, a penalty was ordered for an athlete in Novo Hamburgo in the game between Esportivo x Novo Hamburgo. On the same day, for the Mato-Grossense Championship, there was an attempt to manipulate the number of corners in the clash between Luverdense and Operário.

On February 12, for the Campeonato Gaúcho, a penalty was ordered for an athlete from São Luiz in the Caxias x São Luiz match. Also on that date, by Goiano, a proposal was discovered for athletes from Goiânia to finish the first half of the game against Goiás losing by a certain score.

Once again, the MP clarifies that the investigation, so far, cannot indicate whether the attempts at manipulation materialized.

According to the MP from Goiás, there are indications that the investigated criminal group, by remunerating the behaviors previously requested from the players, sought to profit from bets placed on sports houses websites, also using accounts registered in the name of third parties to increase income.

After the operation, the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) released a note saying that it “supports any and all legal action that brings transparency and fairness to the championships it organizes and to all Brazilian sport” and highlighted the investment of “a large amount” in tools for “tracking and monitoring matches”.

The confederation also pointed out that “external interference in results or in game situations is a global epidemic” and that the solution is to “punish in an exemplary and urgent way those responsible for this harmful practice”.

Serie A 2022 matches with suspected manipulations

26th round
Palmeiras 2 x 1 Juventude (10.set)
Attempt to entice a Juventude player to take a yellow card

In the game: Jadson, Moraes and Vitor Gabriel received yellow cards.