Júlio Avellar, CBF competitions director, reported to the Senate’s Football Manipulation CPI that 264 suspected manipulated matches were identified in Brazilian football from 2022 to 2024. Avellar confirmed, “Since starting in April 2022, we have taken extensive measures against result manipulation.”
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Key details include:
- Only 31 of these matches were directly overseen by the CBF, with the remainder occurring in state, youth, professional, and women’s championships.
- After renewing their contract with Sportradar in 2024, match monitoring increased from 1,224 to 5,226. All suspicious cases have been reported to authorities including the Federal Police and the Superior Court of Sports Justice.
Avellar did not specify whether manipulations affected only final scores or other aspects of the games. Eduardo Gussem, CBF Integrity Officer, highlighted the need for international cooperation, stating, “Adhering to the Macolin convention is crucial for effectively curbing game manipulation practices.”
The Senate’s CPI, initiated on April 10, aims to investigate fraud involving players, managers, and betting companies, with a potential extension of 90 days beyond the initial 180-day period.
The commission, chaired by Senator Jorge Kajuru and vice-chaired by Eduardo Girão, with Senator Romário as the rapporteur, will produce a report that could lead to legal action.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
The first three episodes are available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel. Stay tuned for the upcoming releases as we keep telling this legend’s life story.
