February 24 – The Brazilian Senate has extended an investigation into match fixing and sports betting, awaiting the outcome of the FA’s investigation into Lucas Paqueta.
One of the driving forces behind the Committee of Parliamentary Inquiry (CPI), Senator Jorge Kajuru said: “New information has started to reach us. We are certain that the English FA will judge Paquetá in the first week of March.”
The English governing body has charged the Brazilian player with alleged breaches of its betting rules. Paqueta, 27, has denied all four charges brought against him and believes “misleading and inaccurate” reporting is putting his chances of a fair disciplinary hearing at risk.
The CPI has also taken into account developments involving William Rogatto, known as the “king of relegation”, who is currently detained in Dubai. Rogatto has publicly claimed to have earned R$300 million ($52 million) by manipulating match results and boasted about relegating 42 football teams in Brazil.
Senator Kajuru emphasised: “The most important fact is the arrival, in the first half of March, in Brazil, of the extradited businessman, a confessed corrupt defendant. He would hand us a computer with everything he has not yet revealed, as well as new documentation.”
The Senate has been given assurances by law enforcement that senators will have the opportunity to question Rogatto. The CPI, established in April 2024, aims to investigate allegations of match-fixing in Brazilian football, potentially involving players, managers, and bookmakers.
Brazil has introduced legislation that liberalises the betting market but requires bookmakers to apply for a Brazilian license to legally operates in the country. Kajuru has always considered the revenue Brazilian clubs generate from sponsorship deals with bookmakers as essential to their operations and financial well-being.
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