Another career ended in a sober and cold courtroom on Monday: the sports court of the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil banned Novo Hamburgo player Nikolas Farias for 720 days. As far as I can judge, that’s the end of a player’s career, because it’s almost impossible to get back into active business after two years without playing. On top of that, the player has to pay a fine of 80,000 real (about 16,000 euros).
Penalty deliberately provoked
The court found it proven that Farias deliberately conceded a penalty in a game. Neither the player nor his lawyer appeared at the trial, although it would have been exciting to hear the professional’s point of view. According to the newspaper “O Globo”, no representative of the southern Brazilian club was present during the proceedings. Novo Hamburgo had terminated the contract with the player at the end of the state championship and apparently wanted nothing more to do with the matter.
Low-income players from lower leagues
The case of Nikolas Farias is symptomatic of how Brazilian football is dealing with the betting scandal, which makes headlines almost every day. Clubs hardly express themselves, the association is more or less on the diving station. Players with low salaries from the lower leagues who apparently wanted to improve their salaries in this way are particularly affected.
According to previous knowledge, they specifically provoked penalties or red cards, on which bets were placed – and later participated in the payouts. Or they bet themselves under someone else’s name. But the investigators are also targeting games in the second and first leagues.
General distrust
Historian Derê Gomes from the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) sees difficult times ahead for the relationship between players and fans. “This scandal has already generated general distrust between fans and players of their favorite teams, especially among players from lower-league teams who pay lower salaries,” Gomes told DW.
historian Derê Gomes
Even a faulty throw-in is no longer regarded as a personal mishap, but the suspicion is immediately raised that this player may be receiving money for the faulty execution. “Only when this scandal has been fully clarified and the players involved have been punished can a healthy relationship of trust be restored between players and fans,” said Gomes.
Parliamentary committee wants to clear up affair
The clarification is now in the hands of politicians. Felipe Carreras, who heads the parliamentary investigative committee into the betting allegations, made a promise to football fans in Brazil to DW: “We want to shed light on this scandal.” This is already the biggest in the history of Brazilian football.
Felipe Carreras (right) at the first meeting of the committee of inquiry into the football betting affair
The point is not only to uncover the background to this corrupt system, but also to punish those involved in an exemplary manner and to advance laws to curb this type of crime, says Carreras: “We will act to eliminate this scourge in all leagues and, if necessary, to put an end to it in other sports as well.” So much for the promise of politics.
Lack of regulation of bookmakers
The causes of the betting affair are also being sought outside of politics and sports jurisdiction. Historian Derê Gomes sees one reason in the “lack of regulation of bookmakers, which has enabled the exponential growth of dozens of companies in this field, which today even provide the majority of club sponsors”.
In addition, Brazil’s footballers are simply poorly paid away from the big stages and dazzling clubs like Flamengo or Santos. In the substructure, some players live on the edge of subsistence. “The financial situation of players and referees has made it easier to recruit for cheating,” says Gomes.
According to the latest information from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), 80 percent of employed professional players receive an annual salary of up to 1,000 real (the equivalent of around 200 euros). Anyone who has a family to support at home may find it easier to ponder immoral financial offers. “The CBF must be held accountable here,” demands historian Gomes. The association does too little or nothing at all for the development of a necessary economic balance – “even though this great national passion moves billions of real.”