An internal investigation in Vasco prevented 7% of the club’s largest master sponsorship in May 2024, with a contract with Betfair online betting home. The fixed amount of the agreement was signed at R $ 45 million, with triggers that could increase the amount to R $ 70 million.
Conducted by the club’s compliance department of the club – sector responsible for ensuring that an organization complies with laws – the investigation raised suspicions about an alleged undue commission collection attempt by an intermediary, who did not participate in the negotiations.
The suspicions arose from an alleged draft contract that provided for the payment of 7% of the total amount of the agreement to the company MG de Albuquerque Sá Marketing, which acts with the name Fantasia Madfortune, represented at the time by his partner Marcelo Gentil Albuquerque Sá and identified as intermediary.
The document, which provided for a payment flow in six installments, was presented to Pedrinho’s management shortly after the former player assumed control of the club’s SAF with the exit of 777 Partners, removed by injunction.
Before making the payment of the commission, the draft and the entire negotiation process with the betting house were analyzed by the compliance of SAF. THE Sheet It had access to the conclusions of two reports, according to which “at no time was the evidence and/or mention of any commission due to any intermediary.”
Also according to the documents, the negotiations of sponsorship were conducted directly between the club and the company, by Vinicius Domingues, from the commercial area of Vasco, and Marcelo Rico, representative of Betfair. Without intermediaries.
According to the complaint filed by a club official to Compliance, Domingues would have been removed from the negotiation in the final stretch of the negotiations, when Lucio Barbosa, then CEO of SAF, took over the conversations.
In the course of the investigation, attempts were identified to link by Marcelo Sá as an intermediary. The suspicions are based on reports of informal collection and the existence of contractual bonds between Rico and the company Madfortune.
The confusion would have been aggravated by the use of Rico, Betfair, a corporate email of Madfortune in communications with SAF.
An episode, during a Vasco match, changed the course of the case. Rico would have been prevented by club officials from President Pedrinho on the grounds that he would actually be the “Marcelo of the Commission.” Betfair’s representative would have decided to send formal clarifications and documents to the club’s governance area.
Rico explained that he used company services only as a service provider for the invoice issuance until Betfair had its own CNPJ in Brazil. He also denied any intermediation bond between Sá and negotiation with Vasco.
Sought by SheetMarcelo Rico said he would only speak through Betfair’s advice. The company was contacted to clarify this and other points of the negotiation, but said it would not comment on the matter.
A Sheet He tried contacts by telephone and messages with Marcelo de Sá and Lucio Barbosa over seven days, but had no returns from both.
According to the report, both the betting house and the club would be victims of the attempt to divert money. At the time, the contract was announced for the amount of $ 70 million, but this amount would only be achieved through goals, as Vasco being Brazilian or Libertadores champion. The fixed amount would be $ 45 million.
According to the compliance of SAF Vasca, there are no signed documents, formal proposals, authorization of the board, intermediation agreements or negotiating emails involving Marcelo Sá or Madfortune directly with Vasco’s SAF and Betfair.
The reports also point out that Madfortune’s digital structure – in the website and professional profiles – is considered incipient, without business history in the sports sector, which contrasts with the allegation of intermediation in a contract of this magnitude.
According to the report, there is also no evidence that Marcelo Sá has kept conversations with the previous board of SAF during the formalization phase of the contract, which was already conducted directly by the Betfair matrix in London.
The reports of July 4th and 11th, 2024, concluded that Marcelo Sá’s attempt to bind the contract with Betfair has no commercial or legal ballast, being considered an informal attempt and without any contractual support or institutional authorization of any of the parties involved.
In a statement, Vasco confirmed the internal investigation, but did not detail the club’s next steps. “Vasco da Gama informs that it will not comment on the investigation and its possible developments, according to its ethical and legal guidelines.”
