Legislation
Brazil – Match fixing report delayed
By James - 28 September 2023
The final report by the Parliamentary Investigation Commission (CPI) into match fixing in football has been delayed. Although the first stage of investigation is complete four deputies argued that there had been insufficient testimony from sports betting operators active in the Brazilian market.
According to the government news agency Agência Câmara de Notícias rapporteur of the sports betting bill Felipe Carreras, explained that no evidence had been found against operators and that, in fact, reports showed that they had been harmed by match fixing rather than benefitting from it.
“This was said by the attorney general of the Public Ministry of Goiás, who competently initiated the entire investigation that culminated in Operation Maximum Penalty, as well as the prosecutor of the Public Ministry and the institution of the Federal Police, who did not find any evidence against these companies. On the contrary, they were harmed,” Carreras said. Carreras already released a preliminary report on the CPI last week.
Several deputies spoke out against the work that the commission has carried out so far. The four legislators have asked to see the report, thus preventing the vote.
The request for a review, which would require two more plenary sessions to analyze the final report, came from deputies Wellington Roberto, José Rocha, Marcelo Álvaro Antônio and Márcio Marinho, who expressed their dissatisfaction with the progress of the investigations and the conclusions of the rapporteur.
“I ask to see this report, which says nothing at all. It doesn’t even say everything that was allowed to happen here, in this commission, that requests for calls and invitations were approved that were not implemented,” Wellington Roberto said.
Marcelo Álvaro Antônio was especially critical. “The report frustrated the expectations of those who would like serious work to be done on this CPI,” he said.
Even with the closure of the CPI Carreras wants to continue with the four bills he suggested in his report last week. “In order to discipline Brazilian football and put an end to this segmentation of bets, that is, on yellow cards, red cards and expulsions”.
The bills also address the obligation for club managers, directors or coaches to report to the competent authorities the practice of the crime of sports corruption, under penalty of criminal liability; and the criminal classification of the conduct of exploiting a fixed-odd betting lottery without prior authorization from a competent body.
