SPORTS BETTING
Brazil – Top flight football players suspended in match fixing probe
By James - 11 May 2023
Brazil’s match fixing scandal has deepened after five football players were suspended. Top club Athletico Paranaense announced via social media that two players had been suspended until the end of the investigation by prosecutors in the state of Goias.
A number of games are being investigated due to the alleged involvement of a criminal group specializing in match-fixing. The case is being investigated by the Public Ministry of Goiás in an operation dubbed Operation Maximum Penalty. The operation is believed to have now unearthed match fixing in Brazil’s top two leagues.
Cruzeiro, Fluminense and America also announced that they had also suspended players until the investigation is resolved
According to local press 16 people could stand trial in the case, including seven other players.
The probe initially targeted matches from last season in Brazil’s top flight but has also expanded into second-division matches. Prosecutors said some of the athletes were paid between $10,000 and $20,000 to manipulate in-play events.
In April authorities announced that at least six games in Brazil’s first division football league had been caught up in an investigation for match-fixing. Both the homes of businessmen and of players were raided.
Yesterday Brazilian authorities said that they had launched a federal investigation into the football match-fixing scandal.
“The measure was taken this Wednesday after the disclosure that athletes from main division clubs of Brazilian soccer were suspected of collaborating with gangs that would act through sports betting,” Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security announced in a statement.
