October 25 – Botafogo and Brazil international Luiz Henrique has denied accusations of spot-fixing after Spanish authorities opened an investigation into his spell with Real Betis.
Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported that Spanish authorities launched a criminal investigation and have demanded testimony from Henrique, a Botafogo forward, because of alleged involvement in a match-fixing scheme when he played for Betis. Spain sent a formal request to the Brazilian government in July of this year for Henrique’s deposition. La Liga and the Spanish FA, the RFEF, have not opened a formal investigation.
The investigation follows the 2023 Operation ‘Penalidade Máxima’ in Goias which led to suspensions and fines for 15 Brazilian players involved in match-fixing. Although Luiz Henrique was not formally charged by the prosecutor in Goias, connections were found between Bruno Lopez de Moura, allegedly the mastermind of the match-fixing scheme, and him.
Following Botafogo’s 5-0 victory against Penarol in the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores, Henrique said: “They want to dull my shine, but they won’t succeed. God is with me, my family is with me, and none of this happened.”
Luiz Henrique was previously removed from a 2022 call-up to Brazil’s under-23 national team after he was mentioned alongside Lucas Paquetá in a separate English investigation. Reports from English betting firms to the Football Association (FA) indicated an unusual spike in bets on yellow cards for both Henrique and Paquetá. Under Dorival Junior, Henrique has become a regular in the Brazil team.
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