October 16, 2005
DISHONESTY has sullied Brazil's most sacred institution -
soccer.
News that two well-known Brazilian soccer referees - Edilson
Pereira de Carvalho and Paulo Jose Danelon - were found to have
taken bribes has disturbed millions of Brazilians.
Football has always served as a refuge of excellence in times of
trouble in Brazil, not just for the distraction it provides but
also as reassuring proof that in at least one area of national
life, talent counts for more than connections, reported The New
York Times.
Pereira de Carvalho is said to have taken the bribes of more than
US$4,000 ($6,800) a match from gamblers to make calls to favour one
team over another.
He admitted taking the money to try to fix matches on behalf of
gamblers who had placed bets worth up to US$90,000 on illegal
Internet sites, reported the Financial Times.
The scandal was uncovered from video footage of the referees and
wiretaps of conversations between them and their alleged
backers.
The discovery has caused results of 11 games in the national league
to be nullified, and championship standings have had to be
changed.
The games are being replayed this month, but the results mean
little as many Brazilians wonder how many games, if any, were
fair.
'If you can't even trust in the score of the game to be honest,
then what hope is there for us?' asked sweeper Jorge Luiz
Costa.
TEAMS UPSET
The soccer teams, particularly those that won their first-round
matches, are particularly upset at having to replay their
matches.
Local soccer hero Pele appealed for stiff punishments for
match-fixers, reported Goal.com.
'This is the time to clean up Brazilian football once and for all,'
he told a local radio station on Monday.
'Football is in desperate need of attention before things really go
off the tracks. It's a sorry business that stains the good name of
Brazil: the country that still boasts the best and biggest football
in the world.'
