President of Sport Club do Recife Luciano Bivar has claimed he once paid money to have a player called up to the Brazil national side.
The 68-year-old has revealed that he paid a lobbyist back in 2001 to have Léomar Leiria called up to the Confederations Cup squad for that year"s tournament.
Bivar, who ran in the Brazilian presidential election in 2006, also claimed that this is common practice in Brazilian football.
He told Recife radio station Transamerica: “I pushed a player to the national team by paying a commission. It was back in Leomar"s time. I won"t say the name of who took the money, but you can do your research and find out.
“Everybody makes [a case for a player to be called up] in Brazilian football. Ask [Luiz Felipe] Scolari how many lobbyists have called him asking for someone to get a call-up to the national team. This is the reality of Brazilian football. With Leomar, we paid a lobbyist."
Brazil legend Romário, who has publicly criticised the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) numerous times, echoed Bivar"s comments in the following statement.
He said: “Sport"s president had the guts to come public and reveal what I have been saying for years. The former and the current CBF management are ruining our football.
“I hope more people have the same courage to come clean and tell stories that are very similar to that one for the good of the sport."
Source: Goal.com
