La Derecha Diario Brazil: a match-fixing network involving players and coaches has been dismantled
What was discovered is that match-fixing caused profits of at least 11 million reais
The Brazilian Police carried out an operation this Wednesday in six states with the aim of dismantling a network dedicated to match-fixing in soccer, in which players, coaches, and even club officials would be involved.
The security forces executed a total of 16 arrest and search warrants "against a criminal organization specialized in manipulating soccer match results", according to an official statement from the Police of the state of Goiás.
The investigations indicate that the group would have obtained at least 11 million reais (equivalent to 1.8 million dollars or 1.6 million euros) through fraudulent maneuvers via betting platforms.
The network operated with a hierarchical structure, consisting of "financiers, intermediaries, and executors", with the latter group including "players, coaches, and club officials" as suspects, although the names of the suspects were not disclosed.
According to the G1 portal, belonging to the Globo group, among those targeted by the operation is the former referee D'Guerro Batista Xavier, 46 years old, who was arrested in João Pessoa, the capital of the state of Paraíba, in the northeast of the country. Xavier had been removed from professional refereeing in 2018, when he was linked to another investigation for alleged irregularities in regional tournaments. However, he continued participating in amateur competitions.
The Brazilian Senate has also focused on this issue. Recently, it conducted an investigation committee that analyzed the existence of illegal betting schemes linked to sports.
Precedent in Serie D
Last March, another scandal related to match-fixing erupted. In this case, it involved the match played in 2023 between Patrocinense and Inter de Limeira, corresponding to Serie D (fourth division of Brazil), where it was proven that there was result manipulation.
As a result, the Supreme Court of Sports Justice (STJD) sanctioned seven people involved, including players, collaborators, and investors of the Patrocinense club.
The investigation was led by the Brazilian Federal Police and arose from suspicions about the development of the match, which ended 3-0 in favor of Inter de Limeira, with three goals in the first half. The case demonstrated that members of the technical staff and structure of Patrocinense acted deliberately to benefit certain bettors.
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