John Textor, owner of SAF Botafogo, faced trial at the First Disciplinary Commission of the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD). He did not cooperate with the Sports Court and did not comply with a court decision.
Textor was punished with a fine of R$60,000 and five days to present the evidence he claims to have regarding alleged manipulation of results in Series A or demonstrate the impossibility of doing so.
The decision is of the first instance and must reach the Plenary.
Textor’s allegations, investigation and lack of evidence
In March, Textor gave an interview. He claimed to have recordings of referees complaining that they were not promised bribes. He alleged that there was manipulation of results in the Brazilian Championship in the last three years (2021, 2022 and 2023).
The Prosecutor’s Office requested the opening of an investigation to investigate Textor’s allegations. The president of the STJD, José Perdiz de Jesus, accepted the request. He ordered Textor to present the evidence he claimed to have within three days. Textor responded, but offered no proof.
Auditor Mauro Marcelo de Lima e Silva, appointed to conduct the investigation, reiterated the order due to the lack of evidence. He set a new deadline for submitting the evidence, but no one met it again. In a session on March 14, the Plenum received the case.
They unanimously decided that the Sports Court had the authority to investigate the case. However, the majority of votes did not confirm the automatic suspension applied by the auditor who conducted the investigation.
Complaints and defense at the STJD
The Sports Justice Prosecutor’s Office received the files. Two CBJD violations resulted in Textor being reported. Although the defense requested the suspension of the process, the request was unanimously denied.
Deputy Attorney General Michel Sader called for Textor’s conviction. He claimed that the court has a responsibility to deal with cases of match-fixing and that Textor had not presented the evidence he claimed to have.
Votes and results in the punishment of John Textor
Initially, auditor Miguel Cançado voted in favor of the Prosecutor’s complaint. He argued that John Textor did not cooperate and disrespected a decision by the Sports Court.
As a result, he proposed an automatic suspension until the owner of Botafogo complies with the decisions and presents the evidence. Furthermore, he suggested a 60-day suspension and a fine of R$60,000.
On the other hand, auditor Ramon Rocha partially disagreed with the rapporteur. He argued that Textor’s conduct falls under Article 220-A due to lack of collaboration. Therefore, he voted for a fine of R$60,000 and gave Textor five days to present the documents he claimed to have.
Auditor Caio Barros agreed with the rapporteur, while auditor Sérgio Furtado, president of the session, supported the dissenting vote. Unanimously, they rejected the preliminary suspension of the process.
On the merits, by a majority, they convicted Textor based on article 220-A, item I, with a fine of R$60,000 and five days to comply with the obligation or demonstrate its impossibility. The majority acquitted Textor in relation to article 223, although the rapporteur and Caio Barros voted for conviction.
