The Federal Police and Gaeco (Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime), from the Federal District Prosecutor’s Office, carried out this Tuesday (5) an operation in Rio de Janeiro that investigates possible manipulation of cards to benefit sports bettors.
The main person being investigated is striker Bruno Henrique, from Flamengo. The athlete’s family members, including his brother, cousin and sister-in-law, are suspected of having bet on the player’s card.
Federal police and Gaeco agents went to Ninho do Urubu, Flamengo’s training center, in Vargem Grande, west of Rio, to carry out search and seizure warrants.
Bruno Henrique was at home, in Barra da Tijuca, another point of the operation, when the agents arrived. He handed over electronic devices to agents. Flamengo trained this Tuesday morning, at Ninho.
When contacted by the report, Bruno Henrique’s advisors informed that they will not issue any statement.
In a statement on social media, Flamengo said it supported the athlete. “The club has not yet had access to the investigation files, as the case is being carried out under judicial secrecy, but it is important to note that, at the same time as it will support the authorities, it will give full support to the athlete Bruno Henrique, who enjoys our trust and, like any person, enjoys the presumption of innocence.”
The club’s board of directors met to evaluate the case. Flamengo traveled to Belo Horizonte, Bruno Henrique’s hometown, this Tuesday to play matches against Cruzeiro, on Wednesday (6), in the Brazilian Championship, and against Atlético-MG, on Sunday (10), in the final of the Copa do Brasil .
Bruno Henrique was normally part of the delegation.
Another 11 warrants were served at addresses linked to Bruno Henrique and his family, in Rio, and in the Minas Gerais cities of Belo Horizonte, Vespasiano, Lagoa Santa and Ribeirão das Neves.
More than 50 federal police officers and six prosecutors from the Federal District participate in the action. Members of the Rio Public Ministry also support the operation.
Bruno Henrique is being investigated for a yellow card he received in the 50th minute of the second half of the match between Flamengo and Santos, for the 2023 Brazilian Championship.
The game was played at Mané Garrincha, in Brasília, so the investigation is led by the PF and the Federal District Prosecutor’s Office.
In the play, the athlete Soteldo, then at Santos, is close to the corner flag and risks a dribble over Bruno Henrique. The red-black player tries to stop him, and referee Rafael Rodrigo Klein calls a foul.
After the yellow card, Bruno Henrique received a straight red card for complaining. Santos won 2-1.
Suspended, the attacker did not participate in the following games, against Fortaleza and Palmeiras, due to the third yellow and red.
The possible manipulation in the game against Santos was determined based on a report from Ibia (International Betting Integrity Association) and Sportradar, which carry out risk analyzes in the betting market. The suspect was taken to the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) and the Ministry of Finance.
According to the PF, during the investigation, the data obtained from the “bets”, as online betting houses are called, showed that the bets were placed by the player’s relatives and by another group that has not yet been identified.
The Public Ministry understands that, if result manipulation is confirmed, it is a crime against the uncertainty of the sporting result, typified in the General Sports Law. The crime carries a penalty of two to six years in prison.
The Ministry of Finance’s Prizes and Betting secretariat signed a partnership a week ago with Ibia, Sportsradar, Genius Sports and Sport Integrity Global Alliance, four monitoring companies in the sports betting sector.
The agreement is for companies to report possible signs of manipulation to the Ministry of Finance. The investigation into Bruno Henrique’s card is the first since the beginning of the partnership.
In the third quarter of this year, Ibia triggered 42 alerts of suspected betting manipulation around the world, two of them in Brazil: one related to a football game and the other to a tennis match. The company did not say whether the suspect in the most recent quarter is Bruno Henrique.
