The requests to invite Textor were submitted by the committee's chairman, Senator Jorge Kajuru (PSB-GO), and rapporteur, Senator Romário (PL-RJ)(REQ 25/2024 and REQ 12/2024, respectively). Textor said evidence of his allegations would be handed over to the IPC in a secret meeting.

"This is a very important day for me and I hope it is also an important day for football in Brazil. It's a sport we all love," Textor said.

The businessman spoke in English and was assisted by two translators. Textor thanked the Senate for doing something he said he had not seen anywhere else in the world: having a committee of a legislative chamber investigate allegations of football match-fixing. He said he did not want to cause trouble for anyone in particular and acknowledged the ICC's "courage" in tackling the issue. The businessman also praised the SAF legislation, which he said facilitates business, allowing new developments for national football. According to Textor, match-fixing is now a global problem.

"Manipulation happens like doping. Nobody wants to believe it until we realise that it can happen anywhere," he said.
According to Textor, the technology used by the company Good Game! - which he hired to analyse the matches - does not say why the game was rigged, but it does say how it was rigged. According to the manager, some matches indirectly affected Botafogo. For the businessman, if the evidence is taken into account, the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) - a body linked to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and outside the judiciary - as well as the police and the IPC, could take action.

"I have such a strong love for my club that it blinds me. That is why I try to investigate the matter as thoroughly as possible. Corruption dies in the sunlight," he said, and also demanded more transparency from the CBF.
Textor made an analogy by saying that manipulation is like a magic trick, where the fan looks at one play, while the irregularity occurs in another situation. He said that computer vision can see every second of the match, with the ability to evaluate the performance of referees and players.

Senator Carlos Portinho (PL-RJ) expressed concern about the dependence that Brazilian football has developed on bookmakers. He said that, unless there is a thorough investigation, it will never be known if there has really been manipulation. For Senator Veneziano Vital do Rêgo (MDB-PB), Textor's speech could help with some of the suggestions the IPC will make. He also praised the Botafogo owner's "cooperative attitude". Senator Dr Hiran (PP-RR) said he had confidence in the work of Romário and Kajuru. For him, who is a Botafogo fan, football is the greatest passion of Brazilians.

Contradiction and the ICC

Kajuru noted that the ICC always works on Mondays, which is usually the emptiest day in the Senate, and said meetings should also be held on Wednesdays. The ICC chairman also said the CBF should send documents and reports to assist the work of the commission.

The senator also highlighted the fact that Textor suffered a broken arm on Sunday and still attended the ICC meeting on Monday. In the question section, Kajuru questioned an alleged contradiction by Textor. On a YouTube channel, Textor said he had "hard evidence" that Palmeiras had benefited from match-fixing over two seasons. In another situation, at a press conference, the Botafogo owner claimed not to have made accusations against Palmeiras and São Paulo.

Textor responded that there was no contradiction in his statements. He reaffirmed that Palmeiras benefited in 2022 and 2023, but said he had never accused Palmeiras or São Paulo, as clubs, of being behind any manipulation. The two clubs have already announced their intention to sue the businessman, who also confirmed to Kajuru that he had sent the CBF a 70-page report on possible manipulations in December last year. 

The STJD, however, reportedly shelved the complaint in less than 24 hours, which, in theory, would have happened without analysing the report.

"I have received indications that there was pressure from the CBF and possibly from clubs to shelve the case," he said.
CPI vice-president Senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE) said the commission is working to find the truth. In Girão's opinion, the advent of internet sports betting is very bad for football and for the country. He said many Brazilians are putting their income at risk and going into debt because of gambling. Girão asked Textor whether the CBF could be considered to be colluding with the possible irregularities reported and wanted to know about an audio the businessman said he had of a bribe to a referee to interfere in a match.

Textor responded that his allegations also implicated the CBF. He questioned the confederation's relationship with some media outlets and said he had already had interview invitations cancelled because of alleged CBF interference. Textor also reported that he had already submitted evidence to the sports tribunal. 

He also questioned the fact that a VAR (video assistant referee) is assigned to the same on-field referee 16 times out of a possible 20, and the sponsorship of betting companies to football events and organisations. As for the audio involving an umpire, Textor said he would discuss it at the secret meeting with the IPC. He also admitted that it bothers him that betting on matches is often carried out by people with little financial means.

Manipulations

Senator Romário highlighted Textor's courage in testifying before the IPC and said he had already been called a "braggart" for proposing an investigation into the manipulations. The rapporteur questioned whether Good Game! analysis is sufficient proof of manipulation and whether it is possible to accurately differentiate between an intentional error and a player's lack of concentration.
In response, Textor said it has been investigating possible manipulations since 2017. Without going into details of date and place, he cited a Vasco match against Palmeiras in which the VAR camera angle was incorrectly positioned. As a result, a Vasco goal was incorrectly disallowed. He also said that in Botafogo's match against Palmeiras on 1 November last year, there was a questionable sending-off of an alvinegro player late in the match. According to Textor, there was also an incorrect positioning of a VAR camera. After the sending off, Palmeiras turned the game around and won 4-3.

Textor explained that the Good Game! analysis is able to assess normal human behaviour and then distinguish what is considered abnormal behaviour in a player. Conditions such as age and fatigue are taken into account to identify deviation. He said that in the Palmeiras 5-0 São Paulo match, one of the São Paulo players analysed had eight deficiencies, almost three times more than the rate considered normal. He added that five São Paulo players showed anomalies, including in goal-scoring situations. Textor said he has tried to preserve the players, but is convinced that the match was rigged. He also suggested that anyone who wants to know can watch the VT of the match and draw their own conclusions. The businessman said he has put his credibility on the line by making the accusations, but pointed out that he has never accused Palmeiras of being directly involved in any wrongdoing.

"I'm not saying whether Palmeiras is involved or not. But we have identified some very strange facts," he said.

In response to Romário's question about whether he adopts any method of analysis for Botafogo itself, Textor said that he had asked Good Game! to analyse the club's drop in performance in the second half of last year's Brazilian championship, but had not yet received the results. According to the businessman, the "Botafogo family" should be prepared for the consequences, even if the investigations affect anyone connected to the club. Also in response to Romário, he denied that the allegations were a strategy to sell SAF Botafogo and leave Brazilian football.

“If I wanted to sell, I wouldn't be saying the bad things. I would never sell a business like that. This ends up being very imaginative”, refuted Textor.

Parliamentary Consultation Committee

The CPI for the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting was created following the request of Romário (RQS 158/2024). The commission is composed of 11 senators and 7 substitutes, with a duration of 180 days. The CPI's objective is to investigate facts related to allegations and suspicions of match-fixing in Brazilian football, including players, officials and betting companies.

Source: Agência Senado