Brasília, April 22, 2024 – John Textor, owner of Botafogo’s soccer corporation (SAF), kept his appointment in Brasília yesterday to testify before the Senate’s Parliamentary Inquiry Committee (CPI) on match-fixing and sports betting. Arriving at the Senate, the American businessman praised the committee’s conduct.
Textor presented key information during a confidential session at the Senate. His testimony kept the committee’s investigation into match-fixing and sports betting alive. Lawmakers stressed the relevance of the evidence he presented, saying it is enough to support new testimony.
Textor was the committee’s first witness, called after his recent statements. Earlier this month, he claimed to have “proof that Palmeiras has been favored for two years” and accused five São Paulo players of fixing a game against Palmeiras in last year’s Brasileirão.
After an open session that lasted more than an hour, highlighted by Senator Romário’s (PSB-RJ) questions to the American businessman, the participants moved to a closed-door meeting with no cameras, press or cell phones. It’s worth noting that Romário himself couldn’t attend due to health issues and was represented by an aide.
During the private meeting, Textor shared his evidence, revealing the names of individuals allegedly involved in fixing results. He also presented games flagged in more than 180 pages of reports from the French company Good Game!, suggesting possible manipulation.
The discussion went beyond paper. Textor showed videos pointing out suspicious movements in specific plays. He had previously shared this information at a meeting last Friday with Felipe Bevilacqua, vice president of the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD).
One of the new elements he presented was an analysis of VAR footage. Textor claimed that not everything shown to TV viewers and to referees on the monitor is 100% faithful to what happened on the field. The businessman compared images and gave concrete examples. Those present considered this the most striking part of the meeting.
In the end, Textor said he was pleased with the meeting and the dialogue. His revelations were enough to keep the investigation moving, and the committee is already planning to call Palmeiras president Leila Pereira and São Paulo president Julio Casares to testify in the coming days.
What did the senators say?
Jorge Kajuru:
“We reached a simple and objective conclusion. We learned of a number of indications; we don’t want to call them proof. They were extremely important indications. I don’t want to say we just sat through a one-hour conversation; there was a lot of substance. It was a pleasure, and we can only thank the whole team, which is very well qualified. It wasn’t just the Botafogo CEO bringing indications about Botafogo; he showed other games, other footage. We have enough indications to investigate whoever is of interest to us in upcoming meetings.”
Carlos Portinho:
“I want to thank our guest. He is the messenger, and it’s important for everyone watching who has allegations to come forward. There is substance here. It astonishes me that the CBF, which bears the most responsibility for the integrity of soccer in Brazil, didn’t dig deep, and that the STJD, where I worked during my career, didn’t dig deep into this either. There are technical elements here. There are reasons to investigate. What Textor brought may not be clear evidence that already justifies arrest warrants, but it is fundamental to preserving integrity and to making anyone who thinks about cheating give up. What technology brings us is immeasurable. All the material that was produced deserves credit. I hope this committee gets many more John Textors who come forward and make allegations with substance, because we will go after them without fear. Here, we give them credibility. Whether you’re 100% right or 100% wrong, it was already worth it, because we will leave here with improvements for Brazilian soccer. What you bring us is, at the very least, a warning that the government and the federations need to get ready fast. There are cases of poorly prepared and edited VAR footage, changes to what is shown on TV. I want to tell you, John Textor, and I say this as a fan of another team, that results are a consequence of good financial management. What you are doing with Botafogo is exemplary, and the fans should be proud of what the club did last year.”
Hiran Gonçalves
“I want to thank John Textor for coming, and as has already been said, the evidence makes it very clear that we need to pursue these investigations. This will become public. When players see what we saw in there, they’ll think twice about fixing results. They’ll be on alert. As a Botafogo fan, I’d like to ask him to sign two center backs fast, because Lucas Halter and Bastos are making us suffer (laughs).”
Eduardo Girão
“I want to once again thank John Textor for coming here and say that the indications really went beyond the players’ behavior and extended to VAR. We have to understand why this happened and what the CBF did or didn’t do about it. We are here to protect Brazilian soccer, which is a national treasure. The rise of sports betting worries me. I hear from many fans who have lost money, and in the medium term the clubs will lose too, because fans will stop paying. We need to take action on jersey sponsorships, advertising and players appearing in betting ads; all of this creates conflicts of interest. We can’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.”
