São Paulo, Brazil – A new soccer match-fixing scandal has shaken Brazil. This time, Bruno Henrique, a prominent forward for the storied Rio de Janeiro-based club Flamengo, is involved in a police investigation.
Another Brazilian soccer star, Lucas Paquetá, is currently under investigation for match-fixing in England.
On Tuesday, Federal Police officers, search warrant in hand, arrived at Bruno Henrique’s upscale residence in the city and confiscated his cell phone. Additional searches were carried out at properties linked to the player in Belo Horizonte, Vespasiano, Lagoa Santa, and Ribeirão das Neves, all located in the state of Minas Gerais, where he was born.
The investigation centers on suspicions that the player deliberately received yellow and red cards during a match between Flamengo and Santos in the 31st round of the Brazilian Championship, held in Brasília on November 3, 2023.
In that game, Bruno Henrique was yellow carded after committing a hard foul on a Santos player in the 50th minute of stoppage time. Enraged, he approached referee Rafael Klein, shouting angrily until he was shown a red card and sent off.
To many fans watching the match, the incident may have seemed like a routine outburst – a common scene in the intense world of professional soccer. However, betting companies soon noticed an unusual surge in wagers that Bruno Henrique would receive a card during the game.
(Flamengo Instagram)
This raised suspicions at three bookmaking firms – Betano, GaleraBET and KTO – which had observed an extraordinary number of bets on that exact scenario.
Sportradar, and International Betting Integrity Association, organizations that monitor betting activities, also flagged the suspicious bets to soccer’s governing body, FIFA, as well as the Brazilian Football Confederation.
According to the investigation’s report, several of the accounts that placed the bets had recently been created in the city of Belo Horizonte, some just a day before the match under suspicion. These accounts performed single bets on Bruno Henrique being carded. Atypical betting activity included the following amounts:
R$ 3,050 (USD $528) to win R$ 9,150 (USD $1,580)
R$ 2,300 (USD $397) to win R$ 7,000 (USD $1,210)
R$ 1,500 (USD $259) to win R$ 4,550 (USD $769)
Investigators revealed that Betano identified that 98% of bets related to player cards focused on Bruno Henrique. GaleraBet recorded 95% of bets in the same category, while KTO did not specify a percentage but confirmed high betting volumes. The manipulation allegedly benefited the player’s friends and relatives, who were reportedly tipped off by Bruno Henrique to bet on him receiving a card.
If found guilty, he could face a suspension of up to 12 matches. He also faces potential criminal charges under Article 198 of Brazil’s General Sports Law, which penalizes those who accept or solicit advantages to manipulate a match. Convictions carry sentences ranging from two to six years in prison.
The scandal evokes memories of a similar case involving Lucas Paquetá, the West Ham midfielder and Brazilian national team player. Paquetá is under investigation by England’s Football Association (FA) for allegedly receiving yellow cards intentionally in three Premier League matches between November 2022 and August 2023. According to The Sun, Paquetá is expected to face trial by the FA in March 2025. If found guilty, he could face a lifetime ban from soccer.
(West Ham Instagram)
