The report that gave rise to the operation launched this Tuesday (5) against striker Bruno Henrique, from Flamengo, shows total returns of R$ 13,850 in bets from three different houses for the player to receive a yellow card in a match against Santos for the Brazilian Championship last year.
The information appears in a report by Ibia (International Betting Integrity Association), hired by Conmebol (South American Football Confederation), which only forwarded the complaint on July 29, 2024 to the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation). The game took place on November 1, 2023, nine months earlier.
According to this report, one “operator” had approximately R$6,100 in return at Betano, another received R$4,700 at GaleraBet and a third received R$3,050 at KTO. The STJD (Superior Court of Sports Justice), which analyzed and archived the case, considered the values ”insignificant” when compared to the athlete’s salary.
The complaint filed by the Federal Police says that “many of the betting records were made by accounts opened on the platforms the day before the match”, which were made at the maximum value, concentrated solely on Bruno Henrique’s yellow card and originating from Belo Horizonte, the hometown of Bruno Henrique. attacker.
The need to use more than one account to obtain a considerable profit is explained by a limit imposed by the “bets” themselves, as online betting houses are called, for bets of this type.
Betano, for example, accepts a maximum bet of R$631 for a yellow card for Jonathan Calleri for São Paulo in a game this Tuesday (5), against Bahia. He has an average number of cards (six in 25 games) similar to what Bruno Henrique had when betting (five in 23 games).
To be able to bet R$3,000, it would be necessary, using this example, to use five different accounts.
Among the bettors, according to the PF complaint, were Wander Nunes Pinto Júnior (brother of the attacker), Poliana Ester Nunes (cousin) and Ludymilla Araújo Lima (sister-in-law).
The other bettors, according to the complaint, have a relationship with each other. Claudinei Vitor Mosquete Bassan is married to Rafaela Cristina Elias Bassan and brother of Henrique Mosquete. Max Evangelista Amorim and Andryl Sales Nascimento were teammates on Grêmio’s fut7 team. In addition to them, Douglas Ribeiro Pina Barcelos is being investigated.
Late report
In April, the CBF had told the CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) on the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting of the Senate that, of 15 suspicious games organized by the entity in 2023, none of them took place in the Brazilian Series A Championship.
The information passed on to the senators was based on a report from Sportradar, a company hired by the CBF to monitor suspicious bets. This report pointed to suspicion in 109 Brazilian football games in 2023, most of them in lower divisions of state championships and youth category matches.
The warning only came in a report from Ibia to Conmebol, which identified an unusual volume of bets for Bruno Henrique to receive a yellow card against Santos in a duel held in Brasília, at Mané Garrincha.
In stoppage time of the game, Bruno Henrique received a yellow card for a heavy foul on Soteldo, offending referee Rodrigo Klein and then receiving a straight red card. As he was already suffering from yellow cards, the Flamengo player had to serve a suspension in the next two matches, against Fortaleza and Palmeiras.
Ibia’s report was forwarded by the CBF to the STJD prosecutor’s office, which closed the case after questioning Sportradar and the company hired by the CBF informing that, based on its survey, it had not identified any irregularities. The company also said that it would carry out a new scan and, if it found suspicions, it would inform the STJD, which did not happen.
The Federal Police, however, said in the complaint that the investigation stems from reports from Ibia and Sportradar.
In a note, the STJD stated that “the Prosecutor’s Office found that the facts observed are in line with the reasonable reality of football practice” and that the alert “did not point to any indication of economic benefit for the athlete, since any profits from bets reported in the alert they would be negligible, when compared to the player’s monthly salary”. The sports court is not responsible for investigating whether there is a personal relationship between Bruno Henrique and the bettors.
As the game took place in Brasília, the CBF also informed the PF and the Public Ministry of the Federal District and Territories (MPDFT), which this Tuesday launched Operation Spot-fixing. 12 search and seizure warrants were executed at addresses linked to Bruno Henrique in Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and other cities in Minas Gerais, where his family members reside.
“The elements presented indicate the possibility of committing the crimes of fraud resulting from a sporting event (art. 200 of Law No. 14,597/2023) and which also suggest the occurrence of a crime of passive sports corruption (art. 198 of Law No. 14,597/2023 )”, argued the PF when asking the Court to authorize the search and seizure.
When contacted by the report, Bruno Henrique’s advisors informed that they will not issue any statement.
Flamengo, in a statement, stated its support for 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.”
Sportradar did not comment on the case. Betano stated: “When we detect any suspicious activity, we promptly report it to the appropriate authorities.” He added: “Incidents of this nature highlight the critical importance of regulation within the industry, highlighting the need for a national framework to enable rapid investigation and resolution.” Galerabet did not comment, and the report was unable to contact KTO.
