The provincial Justice Department charged fifteen individuals linked to the Atenas club from Río Cuarto with alleged fraud and scams in sports betting. The case centers on a Federal A tournament match played a year ago in San Luis against Juventud Unida, where some suspicious maneuvers were detected. The irregularities emerged after observing unusual money movements and bets focused on the defeat of the Río Cuarto team.
The complaint was filed by Lotería de Córdoba after noticing the opening of multiple new accounts in the city prior to the match. In those transactions, amounts far above the usual average were wagered, and all bets predicted Atenas's defeat. The final result, a 3-0 with two own goals and a questionable penalty, reinforced suspicions of a deliberate fix.
In this scenario, Lotería decided to suspend prize payments and notify the provincial Justice Department to prevent the collection of several suspicious bets. The investigation was assigned to the Cybercrime Prosecutor's Office, led by prosecutor Franco Pilnik, who ordered various measures. Since then, evidence and testimonies have been gathered that implicate several members of the squad and management.
Federico Felippa, el expresidente de Atenas de Río Cuarto
The individuals involved and the maneuvers under investigation
Among those charged are the club's former president, Federico Felippa, along with other executives, employees, and athletes of the institution. Secretaries Mariano Lima and Sergio Bustos, treasurer Franco Panzolato, and physical therapist Camila Basualdo Quevedo were also named. The list also includes Fermín Felippa and Claudio Ochoa, who allegedly had direct involvement in the bets.
The former head coach, Juan Ismael Bazid, and players Axel Juárez, Uros Milenkivic, and Uirá de Oliveira Marques were identified as participants. Marques, a Brazilian national, drew particular attention after scoring two own goals and committing an unusual handball in the penalty area. A few days later, he terminated his contract and left the country, which led to the issuance of an international arrest warrant.
The case also reached Nicolás Gauna, an employee of Agencia Córdoba Deportes and a Río Cuarto executive involved in the bets. According to the investigation, he used an account opened in the name of a friend's girlfriend to bet fifty thousand pesos (110 pounds) against Atenas. The amount would have caused a prize of four hundred thousand pesos (882 pounds), which he was never able to collect due to the complaint and the freezing of funds.
Se envió un oficio a la AFA solicitando colaboración en la investigación
The case file and the possible intervention of AFA
With the charges, the Justice Department seeks to determine the extent of the fix and the level of involvement of each individual. The case file includes financial information, betting records, and communications that will be key to defining responsibilities. In addition, a request was sent to AFA seeking institutional cooperation in advancing the investigation.
The scandal broke publicly in October of last year when it became known that even the then president may have bet against the team. From that moment, the case impacted the local football environment and put the control of betting platforms under scrutiny. Judicial authorities expect to conclude the pending expert reports in the coming months and determine whether the case will go to trial.
