Brazil will launch a national investigation into football match-fixing and the probe could have “international repercussions,” Justice Minister Flavio Dino said Wednesday.
The South American country's soccer confederation said it had requested the government open the new probe.
Dino's announcement followed the decisions by several top-flight Brazilian clubs to suspend a handful of players as part of a state investigation.
Brazil’s federal police will open a probe “due to the evidence of match-fixing in sports events, with inter-state and international repercussions," Dino said in a statement on Twitter.
Earlier, Athletico said on its social media channels that 20-year-old left-back Pedrinho and 22-year-old midfielder Bryan Garcia had been suspended “preemptively" until the end of the investigation by prosecutors in the state of Goias.
Cruzeiro, Fluminense and America made the same decisions about 29-year-old midfielder Richard, 23-year-old defender Vitor Mendes, and 37-year-old right-back Nino Paraiba, respectively.
Brazilian media raised concerns about the performances of all five players in matches from the 2022 season, and added they could be targets of the “Maximum Penalty” probe that began in February.
State prosecutors reported in a statement that 16 people will stand trial in the case, including seven other players.
One of the players on that list, Santos defender Eduardo Bauermann, was suspended by his club on Tuesday.
TV Globo published several conversations during which the player allegedly admits involvement in the scheme.
The state probe initially targeted matches from last season in Brazil's top flight but has expanded into second-division matches.
Prosecutors said some of the athletes were paid between 50,000 and 100,000 Brazilian reals ($10,000 to $20,000) to get booked or give penalties to their rivals.
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