SPORTS BETTING
Brazil – Senate sports commission approves public hearing on match fixing
By James - 5 March 2024
The CEsp (Senate Sports Commission) has approved a request for a public hearing to discuss match-fixing in the Brazilian football championship of 2023. The request was made by Senators Eduardo Girão and Carlos Portinho. The debate is expected to include the presence of Thierry Hassanaly, a representative of the company Good Game, specialized in analyzing refereeing decisions.
According to the Senate news agency Agência Senado leading companies in sports fraud monitoring indicate that there is an increasing need for security in the world of online sports betting.
The senators mentioned in the document several cases of suspected fraud. “These occurrences in Brazil may be just the tip of the iceberg. Sport in general and football in particular cannot be contaminated by gambling […] Therefore, the proposition that we present aims to hear Thierry Hassanaly, CEO of the company Good Game!, always with the aim of delving into the intricacies of the fixed odds betting market, seeking to expose companies that lure national sports figures into committing fraud,” argued the senators in the request.
Match fixing has been a long standing issue in Brazil with a number of scandals over recent years. In September 2023 FIFA confirmed the worldwide extension of sanctions imposed on 11 players by the Brazilian Football Association (CBF).
The ban stemmed from Operação Penalidade Máxima (Operation Maximum Penalty), a Brazilian football match-fixing scandal investigation undertaken by the Public Ministry of Goiás. After the scandal came to light a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) was launched in the House of Deputies in May.
Deputy Felipe Carreras rapporteur of the CPI into match fixing put forward proposed changes to sports legislation and betting regulations in September.
