The president of Santos, Andres Rueda, spoke earlier this week on the accusation of attempted bribery of Bragantino's goalkeeper, in the women's Brazilian. Accused of the crime, the physical trainer of Sereias da Vila was fired.
It's yet another nebulous case involving sports betting.
All the great scandals in the history of football, tennis and cricket are linked to gamblers. Today, you can hunch on everything. Number of corners, goal difference, who will win or who will score first.
The case of Edílson Pereira de Carvalho, the Sports Lottery Mafia, the Totonero, in Italy, the suspicions in international tennis. All are cases linked to gamblers.
And yet, there are 35 clubs sponsored by digital houses, 19 of them in Serie A. It seems like nonsense.
Andres Rueda has a consistent view on the risk of having an employee accused of bribery and, on the other hand, receiving money from a betting site: "They have to be regulated."
This is not the first time that this issue has been discussed in this space. Gamblers are everywhere. I don't bet, ever. But a lot of people ask if Palmeiras or Avaí, Corinthians or Santos will win, if São Paulo will beat Juventude or if they can raise money with the underdog from Caxias do Sul.
The websites also say that it is necessary to regulate. The money currently leaves Brazil, for the headquarters in Europe, while Congress does not define the rules of operation.
Another important issue is determining that digital houses have a commitment to notify when there is unusual volume. If there is 80% betting on América-MG against Flamengo, something is wrong. Once regulated, the sites will have this commitment.
"There needs to be compliance, transparency and no one from the football industry getting involved," thinks Andres Rueda. Santos’ president makes this last remark after being reminded that Gianluigi Buffon was accused of betting in games in which he participated, during the Calciopoli scandal, in Italy, in 2005. Especially at a time when money can be made by hitting how many corners there is in a match, the goalkeeper entering this business is incompatible.
It's not about taking a chicken, it's about eventually flattening back a kick that could be parried on the first try.
"On the other hand, it's money that football needs," says Rueda. This controversy existed in Europe in the last decade, when Milan and Real Madrid signed sponsorship contracts with Bwin. The relationship with the Spanish club lasted between 2007 and 2013. The following year, Cristiano Ronaldo's team won the Champions League, with the Fly Emirates logo on the chest.
It is urgent for the National Congress to work on regulation. If it is impossible to prevent it, it is necessary to commit the entrepreneurs of this industry. It is forbidden to play poker in illegal casinos, but Neymar advertises international houses.
Gambling was allowed in Brazil between 1920 and 1946. Getúlio Vargas frequented the casinos of São Lourenço and Poços de Caldas, until President Eurico Gaspar Dutra decreed the ban, three months after taking office. One version tells that the first lady, Carmela Dutra, gave the final vote.
That was 76 years ago, and Brazil today is a huge casino. The minimum, then, is to regulate and compromise entrepreneurs. Even so, the next sports scandal will come from this industry. You bet.
PVC
Journalist and author of "Escola Brasileira de Futebol". It covered six World Cups and eight Champions League finals. He currently works as a columnist for Folha, TV Globo and CBN Radio.
