Football coach Estevam Soares had his appeal accepted by the STJD (Superior Court of Sports Justice) and was also exempted from paying a fine of R$20,000 in the case of match-fixing. The coach was also acquitted.
The investigation into the alleged fraud began when the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) sent a letter to the Federal Police (PF), based on a report by Sportradar. Thus, the match in question was between Inter de Limeira and Patrocinense, for Series D of the 2024 Brazilian Championship.
Sportsradar reported that bookmakers’ movements indicated that punters had prior knowledge that a particular team would lose the first half of the match by at least two goals. According to the company, 99% of the attempted turnovers in the “first half goals total” market in this match indicated such an outcome.
The three goals of the match were scored in the first half. This fact raised suspicions of irregularity due to the number of bets made related to the result of the first half. According to the investigation, the score was allegedly set up by people linked to Patrocinense to favor bettors.
The goals conceded by Patrocinense gained notoriety on social media. In one of them, the defender waits for the goalkeeper to get the ball and ends up giving the opponent a chance to score. In addition, an own goal by Patrocinense also occurred in the match.
In addition to Estevam Soares, six other people are also involved in the investigation. Among them are players and businessmen linked to the Minas Gerais club. However, only the former Palmeiras manager appealed the decision and was eventually acquitted.
The beginning of the alleged match-fixing case
The PF operation was launched on June 26, 2024. At the time, the police were investigating alleged manipulation of the result in a Série D match of the Brasileirão.
The game under investigation took place on June 1st. At the time, Patrocinense (MG), a team coached by Estevam Soares, lost 3-0 to Inter de Limeira (SP). Thus, the starting point of the investigation was an alleged connection with bookmakers.
Coach Estevam Soares agreed to join Patrocinense in April. The deal was reached after the club entered into a partnership with a company to manage professional football. One day after the defeat to Inter de Limeira, the partnership with the company was terminated. In addition, the coach was fired, as announced by the club on social media.
Estevam Soares
Estevam Soares reached his peak as a coach in 2004, when he led Palmeiras to fourth place in the Brazilian championship and qualified the team for the Libertadores the following year. In 2009, he managed another major Brazilian club, Botafogo.
What Patrocinense says
The president of Patrocinense sent an official statement to CNN. “Our institution promptly met all the demands requested by the Federal Police agents, with the aim of contributing to the investigations.
“Clube Atlético Patrocinense informs everyone that no member of the current board, the current technical committee and no athlete belonging to the club’s current squad has any involvement with the aforementioned process”, declared the institution”.
