Graft hits Brazil's golden game
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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.' -
Its alright,brazil are known to dominate everything in world football..So abit of scandals is understandable..
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UAE
vs
BRAZIL
next week
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will australia vs uruguay be telecasted live?