Brazil prosecutors charge 16 in alleged soccer match-fixing scheme

SAO PAULO : Brazilian state prosecutors charged 16 people, including seven professional soccer players, with alleged match-fixing, in what threatens to be one of the largest such scandals since Brazil legalized sports gambling in 2018.

Prosecutors from Goias state said that the alleged offenses took place in 13 soccer matches, including eight that were played in the 2022 Brazilian league. Players from clubs such as Santos, Juventude and Cuiaba were among the accused.

In the charging documents, the prosecutors alleged that a criminal gang paid players to commit infractions. The gang would then bet on such outcomes and win payouts when the offenses occurred.

The group would offer up to 500,000 reais ($100,000) as an upfront payment to the players, the prosecutors alleged.

"It is a specialized operation aimed at the enticement and co-opting of professional athletes for financial gain," said the prosecutors.

Sports betting has only been legal in Brazil since 2018 when the country allowed online gambling. It has exploded since then, and gambling adverts are often prominent during, before and after soccer matches. Brazil is currently preparing laws to tax and regulate the sector.

($1 = 5.0033 reais)