The STJD Attorney’s Office (Superior Court of Sports Justice) filed a new complaint against the owner of Botafogo, John Textor. The court will judge the North American for his statements about alleged manipulation of results in matches in the Brazilian Championship.
The document classifies the leader five times under article 243-F and once under article 221. As a result, the maximum penalty can be 810 days of suspension and up to R$500,000 in fines.
Legal consequences for John Textor
In July, the conclusion of the investigation suggested that the manager be sentenced to a six-year suspension and a fine of 2 million euros.
Therefore, the entity analyzed the evidence presented and, in new developments, the owner of SAF was again asked to present the defense and the answers to the 35 questions from the processing auditor, which are part of the investigation.
Articles in which Textor is included:
- Article 243-F. Insulting someone’s honor, through an act directly related to sport – reported five times. PENALTY: fine, from R$ 100 to R$ 100 thousand and suspension of one to six games, demonstrations or equivalent, if practiced by an athlete, even if he is a substitute, coach, doctor or member of a technical committee, and suspension for a period of fifteen to ninety days, if exercised by any other natural person.
- Article 221. Addition, due to serious error or personal feeling, of opening an investigation or procedure at the Court of Sports Justice – reported only once. PENALTY: suspension of 15 to 360 days for an individual or, in the case of an administrative or sporting entity, a fine of R$ 100 to 100 thousand.
Allegations of match fraud
In March, John Textor claimed to have evidence of fraud in Brazilian Championship games and sent it to the STJD for analysis during the investigation. Then, in April, the manager published a text on his website stating that the match between Palmeiras and São Paulo had been rigged.
Therefore, the investigation into the gaming allegations made by John Textor was opened following the request of the following entities:
- of the Attorney General’s Office for Sports Justice
- from Palmeiras
- from São Paulo
- of the Professional Athletes Union of São Paulo
- of the National Football Referees Association
In July, the investigation concluded its analysis of the material Textor presented. In other words, the entity evaluated the evidence that Textor says he had and considered it “invalid”.
Thus, it was also found that the manager’s actions constitute sporting violations against the honor of seven sporting entities, nine athletes and nine referees.
Therefore, the final report says that “infractions against sporting ethics and personal motivation were found in the request to open an investigation”, according to the publication.