Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas’ owner John Textor reaffirmed on Monday his accusations of match-fixing by Brazilian officials at a meeting of the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission on Sports Betting (CPI).
Textor had previously claimed that he was in possession of evidence that Sao Paulo’s players were corrupted against Palmeiras during a match played by Brazil’s top division. Palmeiras won the match 5-0. Textor claimed to have a tape of an allegedly bribed referee a month earlier.
As a response, senator Jorge Kajuru forwarded the allegations to Andrei Rodrigues, director of federal police. Kajuru asked that the federal police call Textor in 24 hours and also ask Textor to provide any evidence.
The CPI then was created to assist in the investigation of allegations of match fixing within Brazilian sports. Kajuru became president and Senator Eduardo Girao vice-president. Romario, a former footballer, was also appointed as rapporteur.
CPI will investigate allegations of match-fixing in weekly meetings, and respond to players, managers, and betting firms. If there is evidence of wrongdoing, the court could order a possible ban on football.
Textor was called to appear before the CPI shortly after its formation. Textor then said that his testimony would be given to the CPI in a private meeting. Botafogo’s owner noted that Palmeiras was never directly implicated in match fixing.
Textor claims wrongdoing
Textor claims that the technology hired by him evaluated human behavior, identifying abnormal behaviors. The technology detected abnormal behaviour in five Sao Paulo football players during the match between Palmeiras and Sao Paulo, a game that Palmeiras won by 5-0. In the game between Sao Paulo and Palmeiras, which was won by Palmeiras 5-0, technology found five players from Sao Paulo who showed abnormalities.
Textor insists that the match was fixed. Textor claimed that he did not know if Palmeiras’ players had been involved. Textor reaffirmed that he believed there was unusual behavior on display.
Textor said he has been analysing possible match-fixings since 2017. Textor cited a game between Vasco da Gama vs Palmeiras where a VAR camera had been placed incorrectly, resulting in an incorrectly disallowed Vasco da Gama’s goal.
Textor also cited a match between Botafogo vs. Palmeiras. Textor says a Botafogo footballer was sent off in error, but Palmeiras won the game 4-3.
CPI Response
Romario responded by asking if Textor used the technology to study the poor performance of his Botafogo squad. He also claimed that Textor wanted to use his claims to sell Botafogo. Textor responded by saying he had used the technology in order to analyze the poor performance of the Botafogo team the previous season, but the results were not available yet. Textor also denied that the accusations were being made to try and sell Botafogo.
Kajuru also questioned Textor about what he thought could be a contradiction. Textor had claimed in a YouTube video that he was able to prove Palmeiras’ profiting through match-fixing for a period of two seasons. Textor later claimed that he had not accused Palmeiras.
Textor responded by saying that he did not contradict himself. He said that although he thought Palmeiras benefited from the alleged manipulation during 2022-2023, he has never claimed that Palmeiras, or Sao Paulo, were behind match fixing.
Romario questioned whether Textor’s technology was precise enough to support such claims. This is especially true when the system could be misled into thinking that a player has lost concentration, or is involved directly in match fixing.
Next steps
Textor believes that the CPI and police could act, including the possibility of players or managers being banned from Brazilian soccer. Textor has been accused of threatening to sue both Sao Paulo FC and Palmeiras FC.
Senator Carlos Portinho believes that a thorough investigation is necessary to identify any possible manipulation. Textor’s CPI remarks, according to Senator Veneziano Vital Do Rego, could be used by the Commission in determining potential sanctions.
Girao has been a critic of Brazil’s gambling industry for many years. He believes that Brazilians are in danger of going into debt because of betting.
Textor was also asked by Girao about the involvement of the Brazil Football Confederation CBF in possible match fixing. Textor replied that he sent a 70 page report in December to the Federation regarding his accusations. Textor, the American businessman, also said that CBF involvement was a part of his allegations.
Textor praises CPI
Textor thanked the CPI, praising its courage in confronting the issue of match-fixing in Brazil. He claimed that he had never seen anything like it anywhere else in the world.
Textor stated, “It is a day that I hold very dear and one which I also hope holds true for Brazilian football.” It’s something we all enjoy.”
Textor was praised by some CPI members. Senator Vital do Rego praised the collaboration between Textor and the CPI. Romario commended Botafogo’s owner for his courage to make such accusations.
