CBF alerts authorities regarding suspected match-fixing involving a Fluminense player.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has forwarded information regarding suspected match-fixing involving Fluminense midfielder Lucho Acosta to criminal authorities and sports disciplinary bodies. The organization acted after receiving an alert from FIFA about unusual betting activity related to the yellow card the Argentine received in the match against Bragantino, valid for the Brazilian Championship.
The incident occurred on July 17th, during the 19th round of the tournament. According to reporting by O Globo, the data was passed on to the Federal Police, the Public Prosecutor's Office of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the Superior Court of Sports Justice for Football (STJD), the Attorney General's Office at the STJD, and the Ethics Committee of Brazilian Football.
Fluminense confirmed receiving the notification and stated that Acosta denies any involvement in the case. The player continues training normally and is expected to play this Wednesday (July 28th) against Bahia, in the Brazilian Championship. The player's defense is awaiting the detailed report from FIFA to understand the situation and define the next steps.
How the alert works
The monitoring system is operated by Sportradar, a company contracted by FIFA. Upon identifying abnormal activity in the betting market, Sportradar issues an alert to the responsible entities. The CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) received the notification through FIFA and, following internal protocol, informed the criminal and sports authorities within 72 hours.
In Acosta's case, the alert was triggered by a high volume of bets on the player receiving a yellow card. The Argentinian was cautioned in the final minutes of the match against Bragantino, during a scuffle that resulted in the expulsions of John Kennedy and Agustín Sant'Anna from the São Paulo club.
A match becomes suspicious when there is unusual activity in the betting market; related to corner kicks, goals, or cards, for example. The investigation starts with this unusual volume of bets, not with suspicious behavior from any player on the field.
What does sports law stipulate?
High trading volume, in itself, does not prove manipulation. Market behavior can have external explanations: a team fielding reserve players, for example, or a player who is one yellow card away from suspension trying to force a suspension to serve a less important game and be available for a more crucial match.
Therefore, both sports organizations and criminal authorities need to investigate the case. The Public Prosecutor's Office has the power to deepen the investigation and can submit requests to the courts to authorize precautionary measures, such as the extraction of telematic data; digital records of communications and activities carried out by cell phones, computers, and internet services.
Suspicions related to national competitions are forwarded to the STJD (Superior Court of Sports Justice). In the case of state championships, the information goes to the federations, which then forward it to the Sports Justice Courts.
If a formal complaint is filed, Acosta could be charged under two articles of the Brazilian Code of Sports Justice (CBJD): article 243, which deals with deliberately prejudicial actions against one's own team, and article 243-A, which refers to practices contrary to sports ethics with the aim of influencing the outcome of a match.
Last year, the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) signed a contract with Sportradar to monitor a package of 8,2 matches, raising the total number of games monitored annually in Brazilian football to over 10, according to data from the organization.
