The Hindu : Sport / Football : Match-fixing probe: 16 detained in Portugal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 22, 2004

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Match-fixing probe: 16 detained in Portugal

LISBON, APRIL 21. Portuguese police detained 16 people, including the chairman of the Portuguese football league and four members of its referees' panel, for questioning over alleged match-fixing.

Police pounced on Tuesday in dawn raids as part of an operation dubbed ``Operation Golden Whistle'' after a year-long investigation, which involved roughly 150 officers.

The probe included 60 raids of club offices, city halls and homes of football officials, mostly in the north of the country, police said.

Police said they had ``strong indications of the crimes of document falsification, sports corruption and influence peddling.''

Valentim Loureiro, the 66-year-old president of the Portuguese Professional Football League and a former president of Boavista football club, is expected to appear in court in the northern town of Gondomar on Wednesday.

In addition to Loureiro, police rounded up Antonio Pinto de Sousa, president of the Portuguese Football Federation's Council of Referees, as well as three other members of the seven-member panel.

More than 20 officers meanwhile searched the offices of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) in Lisbon on Tuesday, local media reported.

Police also raided the office of premier league club Sporting Braga, national news agency Lusa reported citing club officials.

The detentions come as Portugal is gearing up to host the 16-nation European football finals between June 12 and July 4.

Deputy Prime Minister Jose Luis Arnaut, who is charged with overseeing preparations for the event, said the tournament would not be affected by the probe.

A number of Portuguese club executives and coaches have complained recently about the quality of refereeing at premier league matches.

Meanwhile Sporting Lisbon, currently in second place in the 18-team league, was considering complaining to the league about the standard of refereeing after it lost 2-1 to Boavista over the weekend, daily newspaper Jornal de Noticias reported on Sunday.

The paper reported last week that police were investigating suspected accounting irregularities involving players' wages at five first division clubs, including giants Benfica.

The clubs are suspected of under-reporting payments to avoid tax and social security payments, a police source told the newspaper.

Vitoria de Guimaraes, Estrela da Amadora, Santa Clara and Maritimo are the other clubs under investigation. — AFP

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