The CPI commission on the manipulation of gaming and sports betting will meet again on Monday (January 29) at 3:00 p.m. to hear from representatives of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). One of the guests is CBF's Director of Governance and Compliance, Hélio Santos Menezes Júnior. CPI Vice-President, Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE), authored the invitation addressed to the Director (INVITATION 39/2024).
According to Girão, it is true that result manipulation has existed for a long time. The senator argues that this type of situations “should be firmly fought by the CBF, a larger unit responsible for managing sports competitions in this mode.” According to Girão, there is no doubt that the CBF's director of governance and compliance “is of fundamental importance at this time in striving for integrity in our football.” Girão states that he believes that the testimony of Hélio Menezes Júnior will clarify several aspects related to the subject of the CPI investigation.
Girão is also the author of a request in which he invites CBF competition director Júlio Avellar to talk to CPI. As stated in the application (INVITATION 48/2024), in 2022, 139 football matches suspected of manipulation were registered. Last year there were 109 matches. The suspicions concern all series of the Brazilian championship (A, B, C and D). Girão says that as the guest is responsible for the board tasked with planning, conducting and organizing all competitions managed by the entity, he has a lot to contribute to the work of the committee.
CPI will also question CBF integrity inspector Eduardo Gussem. The committee's rapporteur, Senator Romário (PL-RJ), is the author of the request to hear Gussem as a witness (INVITATION 41/2024). According to Romário, CBF has a contract with the monitoring company SportRadar AG, which regularly receives reports about suspicious matches. The senator argues that Eduardo Gussem is the person designated to provide information about the treatment of reports received by the CBF, as well as about the employees involved in the analysis of this data and what kind of warnings are given against possible manipulations during football matches.
CPI
The CPI Gaming and Sports Betting Manipulation Initiative was created at the request of Senator Romário (RQS 158/2024). The commission, chaired by Senator Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO), consists of 11 senators and 7 deputies, and its term of office is to last 180 days.
The aim of the parliamentary commission of inquiry is to investigate the facts related to allegations and suspicions of match-fixing in Brazilian football involving players, managers and betting companies.
Senado Agency (reproduction authorized based on citation from Senado Agency)
