Manipulation CPI summons Raphael Claus and former referee for alleged audio

Manipulation CPI summons Raphael Claus and former referee for alleged audio | Sport

Raphael Claus was summoned by the Game Manipulation CPI to clarify VAR’s action – Paul Ellis / AFP

Raphael Claus was summoned by the Game Manipulation CPI to clarify VAR’s actionPaul Ellis/AFP

Published 04/24/2024 11:58

The Senate Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting convened referees Raphael Clauswho was asked by Botafogo not to referee the classic with Flamengo, and Daiane Caroline Muniz and former referee Glauber do Amaral Cunha. The requests were made by senators Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO) and Carlos Portinho (PL-RJ) and still need approval, which should happen in this Wednesday’s session (24).

The requests are for the participation of the three are in secret sessions “considering the sensitivity and confidential nature of the information that will be shared to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations.” The senators also argue that, in this way, “the deponent feels comfortable sharing crucial details without fear of reprisals or compromising their personal or professional safety.”

Read more: In testimony, John Textor states that manipulation in football is a global reality

Raphael Claus had one of the games, in the 2-1 defeat to Flamengo in the 2023 Brasileirão, highlighted by John Textor’s report about manipulation. He worked with Daiane Caroline Muniz, who stayed at VAR.

The number of games in which the duo worked together in the Brasileirão (11 rounds) also caught the attention of the senatorsas it is much larger than other pairs of referees in the Brasileirão (a maximum of three, according to the requirement).

Read more: President of the CPI supports the request to stop the Brazilian Championship

The two were summoned to provide clarifications “regarding the application of the VAR systemparticularly in the 2022 and 2023 Brazilian Championships, and possible influences on match results”. In the videos presented by the owner of SAF do Botafogo, there are shots in which cameras not shown to the public would present different decisions than those taken.

Read more: Textor responds to Romário’s question about selling Botafogo: ‘Stupid question’

Glauber do Amaral Cunha was called up because it would be the voice in the audio, according to Textor’s report, who was complaining about not being able to manipulate a game of “minor division” the way he needed to make the money. The American presented this file to the Manipulation CPI. The match in question, according to Senator Carlos Portinho in an interview with Rádio Tupi, is not from Series A of the Brasileirão.

Others summoned by the Manipulation CPI

In addition to Carlos Portinho and Jorge Kajuru, senators Romário (PL-RJ) and Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE) also made requests to hear from other characters in Brazilian football. Among them, they want listen to Botafogo CEO Thairo Arruda because he “publicly expressed his concerns about the integrity of Brazilian football resultsciting possible arbitration errors and insinuations of bookmaker involvement.”

The CPI also wants to hear representatives of SportRadar, a company hired by the CBF to identify possible cases of manipulation in Brazilian football and which produced reports “identifying 109 suspicious matches in 2023 alone”.

The chefe of the CBF Arbitration Commission, Wilson Seneme, is another who will be summoned by the senatorsas well as two other representatives of the entity: the governance director, Hélio Santos Menezes Júnior, and the integrity officer, Eduardo Gussem.

O president of the STJDJosé Perdiz, and the Court’s attorney general, Ronaldo Piacente, will also be heard.