A sports court in Brazil has approved the expulsion of midfielder Marcus Vinicius Alves ‘Romario’ from the field for the rest of his life, the first of Brazilian footballers tried for participating in a network that favored a betting mafia. Used to decide the match to take.
This Monday the sentence was handed down by the First Disciplinary Commission of the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD), which also sentenced the now former football player and former player of the Villa Nova club to pay a fine of 25,000 reais (about $5,000). ,
In the same trial, the court also sentenced Gabriel Domingos, a midfielder, one of the accused of match-fixing and former Villa Nova player, to 720 days’ suspension from the courts and a fine of 15,000 reais (3). one thousand dollars).
The prima facie decision may still be appealed before the Full Court by two sanctioned.
Magistrates concluded that two Villa Nova footballers accepted bribes in exchange for forcing yellow or red cards, penalties or causing damage to their teams in order to favor the sports betting mafia.
Romario, 21, was found guilty of violating Article 242 of the Brazilian Code of Sports Justice, which prohibits footballers from “giving or promising an unfair advantage to any athlete in order to influence the outcome of a match or equivalent.”
His accomplice, on the other hand, was sentenced for violating Article 243, which deals with “intentionally causing harm to the defendant.”
While Romário was sentenced for offering bribes to his associates, i.e. for actively participating as an instigator in the criminal network, Domingos was sentenced for accepting one of those offers. .
The court’s decision met the expectations of Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), who defends that players whose involvement in fraud is “proven” are permanently expelled from the discipline.
Romário and Domingos were the first footballers to be tried for results manipulation networks discovered in Brazil in recent months and suspected of cheating in at least 13 football matches played since last year, including 8 in the first division league .
The Goiás State Prosecutor’s Office has already filed charges against 16 people, including 7 football players, suspected of receiving bribes of up to $20,000 in irregularities.
However, documents leaked to the press indicate that there are fifty players who have been cited in the investigation.
