Six players from five teams from the first division of soccer in
Brazil were separated from their clubs in the last hours on suspicion of participating in match-fixing in 2022, in a case that shocked the land of ‘jogo bonito’.
Five of the six soccer players were separated from the activities of their respective squads, after their names appeared in bettors’ conversations revealed by local media this Wednesday, the cast reported.
The rest, the defender Eduardo Bauermann, from Santos, was removed after being charged on Tuesday by the public prosecutor’s office in Goiás (center) for the alleged commission of a crime related to fraud in sports results.
SCANDAL in Brazilian soccer.
Eduardo Bauermann, titular defender of #Saints He was officially suspended by the club when his arrangement to benefit from online sports betting was verified. The player was recorded in a chat with a bettor pic.twitter.com/WxG7D7cPDc— Luis Fregossi (@LuisFregossi) May 10, 2023
Apart from Bauermann, those concerned are the winger Pedrinho and the Ecuadorian midfielder Bryan García (Athletico Paranaense), the defenders Vitor Mendes (Fluminense), the midfielder Richard (Cruzeiro) and Nino Paraíba (América Mineiro).
They are joined by Argentine defender Kevin Lomónaco, from Red Bull Bragantino, who had not been training with the São Paulo club since mid-April, when investigations against him became known, a club source told AFP on Wednesday on condition of anonymity.
Unlike Mendes (Juventude), Nino Paraíba and Richard (Ceará), Bauermann, Pedrinho, García and Lomónaco were in their current clubs at the time they would have participated in the fixing.
ESPN commits jinx by citing defender Nino as one of two involved in the “Maximum Penalty” operation.
The player in serious quest is Nino Paraíba, from América-MG, who has been under investigation for years when he played in Ceará. https://t.co/DlzGvi3qME pic.twitter.com/PtDChXpWhG
— Saudações Tricolores (@STpontocom) May 10, 2023
The penalty faced by the indicated players
If found responsible for the manipulation of results, the players are exposed to a sentence of up to six years in prison.
The separation of the soccer players is part of the “Operation Penalty Maximum”, launched last November by the Goiás prosecutor’s office against a “criminal organization” that manipulates matches to win large sums on online betting sites.
Athletes were offered between $10,000 and $20,000 for being booked or sent off, forcing a certain number of corner kicks, causing penalties, or guaranteeing scores.
The initial investigations focused on games in the second division, but they quickly led to state tournaments and the Brasileirao, and it is not ruled out that it includes competitions outside of Brazil.
In its most recent advance against this criminal structure, the public ministry denounced 16 people before the courts on Tuesday, including soccer players, intermediaries and gamblers.
Prosecutors accuse them of having manipulated thirteen matches of different categories and competitions, including eight of the 2022 Brasileirao.
SPORTS
with AFP
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#Scandal #Brazil #matchfixing #players #named