In a dramatic turn of events in Brazilian football, Leila Pereira, the president of Palmeiras, has called for stern actions against John Textor, the owner of Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas. The tension has escalated following Textor’s accusations of Palmeiras being involved in a manipulated game, igniting a firestorm that has now led to a Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) being set up to investigate match-fixing in Brazil.
The controversy began when Textor claimed he had incontrovertible evidence that players from São Paulo were bribed following their crushing 5-0 defeat against Palmeiras. According to him, not only were São Paulo players compromised, but he also possessed a recording of a referee who had supposedly been bribed. These allegations were fiercely scrutinized during an April CPI session, where Senator Jorge Kajuru, the president of the CPI, insisted that Pereira make an appearance before the commission.
Leila Pereira has not taken these allegations lightly. She strongly refuted the claims made by Textor, demanding that if he is unable to provide substantial evidence, he should be banned from Brazilian football altogether. “Objectively, I have seen absolutely no evidence,” Pereira asserted during her public rebuttal. “I have no doubt whatsoever that John Textor would have to be banned from Brazilian football, because with these irresponsible, criminal allegations, he affects not only Palmeiras, he affects the entire credibility of this great product that is Brazilian football.”
During his CPI testimony, Textor asserted that he had employed advanced technology to monitor and evaluate human behavior, which indicated that five players from São Paulo exhibited aberrant conduct during the match. One player, in particular, showed eight abnormal behaviors, a figure nearly three times the usual rate. Despite his firm belief in the fixed match, Textor admitted his uncertainty over whether Palmeiras players were directly involved.
Nonetheless, Textor did not stop there; he broadened his allegations to include two other games that involved Palmeiras. In one instance, a Vasco da Gama goal was controversially disallowed due to a video assistant referee (VAR) camera being incorrectly positioned. Another match under scrutiny was between Palmeiras and Botafogo, where Botafogo had a player sent off, and Palmeiras subsequently staged a dramatic comeback to win 4-3. This victory was a crucial one as Palmeiras went on to clinch the league title.
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Pereira responded with a blistering critique of Textor’s assertions, accusing him of casting a shadow over Brazilian football. She stated unequivocally that had she known of any misconduct within Palmeiras, she would have promptly reported it to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CFB). “I can’t let a foreigner come here to Brazil and, because he lost a title… disqualify Palmeiras’ very important title,” Pereira declared. She emphasized that her observations were strictly aimed at Textor’s actions, not Botafogo’s as a whole. “His attitudes are a great harm to Brazilian football,” she added.
In light of these developments, Senator Kajuru has called for an urgent meeting involving all 20 clubs in the Brasileiro Série A. He aims to establish a concrete timeline within which Textor must present his evidence to substantiate his claims. Kajuru insists that the integrity of Brazilian football is at stake and that swift action is necessary to preserve its reputation.
Pereira, on her part, advocated for harsher punishments against individuals or entities found guilty of manipulating matches. She argued that only through stringent punitive measures can a deterrent effect be established to prevent future occurrences of such unethical behavior. “Without punishment, we will get absolutely nowhere,” Pereira stressed. “Impunity is the seed of the next crime. There’s no point in warning, there’s no point in a letter. If you participate in these schemes that harm credibility, harm the result, harm the serious work of other clubs, you will be banned from football.”
The unfolding saga promises to be a landmark moment in Brazilian football, spotlighting the urgent need for transparency, accountability, and integrity in the sport. As the CPI delves deeper into these allegations, the footballing world watches on, awaiting the outcome that could very well reshape the landscape of the sport in Brazil.
