• Benfica Accused Of Corruption, Sparking Turmoil In Portuguese Football – Independent Newspaper Nigeria

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    Prosecutors have accused SL Benfica and its former president, Luís Filipe Vieira, of match-fixing, tax fraud and embezzlement between 2016 and 2019. The “Caso dos Mails” has uncovered a corruption network that also involves Vitória de Setúbal, another club in the Portuguese top flight.

    One of the most important football clubs in Portugal, SL Benfica, is now under judicial scrutiny following allegations made by the Public Prosecutor’s Office as a result of an in-depth investigation into corruption in Portuguese football.

    The Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested that the Lisbon-based club be suspended, causing a major upheaval in Portuguese football. The allegations and the request for suspension could have significant consequences, including players seeking to terminate their contracts due to the impossibility of fulfilling their contractual obligations, as well as potential claims for damages and compensation.

    As well as the club, the public prosecutor is also pursuing the club’s former president, Luís Filipe Vieira, for his alleged involvement in a number ofcorruption offences. The charges against him include match-fixing, tax fraud and embezzlement.

    The investigation spans from 2016 to 2019, with prosecutors accusing ten people of unsporting behaviour, active corruption (offering a bribe to someone to carry out an illegal act in their capacity) and passive corruption (accepting the bribe).

    Other members of the club’s management at the time are also charged. According to the prosecutor, “SL Benfica devised a strategy to transfer funds or other valuable sporting assets through fictitious transactions. In return, each participant would act in favour of the other’s interests, particularly with regard to sporting results”.

    However, the public prosecutor has asked the former AC Milan and Benfica star to testify against the previous management. The requested suspension could last up to three years, threatening the club’s participation in the Primeira Liga and affecting high-profile players such as Argentine star Ángel Di María.

    One of the most controversial aspects of the case relates to alleged embezzlement through a company based in Brazil. According to the investigation, the club devised a scheme to justify large payments as commissions for non-existent agency services. The fictitious transactions served as a mechanism to transfer large sums of money without arousing suspicion.

    The ‘Caso dos Mails’, as the investigation has been dubbed, dates back to 2017, when individuals linked to FC Porto leaked private emails from Benfica on the Porto Canal, revealing signs of corruption that led to a police investigation between 2016 and 2019.

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    Currently, the public prosecutor has formalised charges against Benfica and its former president, Luís Filipe Vieira, as well as the club’s former legal advisor, Paulo Gonçalves, and several directors of Vitória de Setúbal. The sports brokerage company OLISPORTS has also been implicated for its role in the fraudulent transactions.

    The financial implications for the club are significant. Despite a €50 million capital increase through a bond issue in May, the latest allegations could seriously damage Benfica’s credibility in the market and lead to a financial collapse.

    In May 2022, Benfica had already issued €60 million in bonds, a strategy also adopted by other European clubs such as FC Barcelona to improve their financial situation. However, the losses accumulated during the 2022-2023 season, although smaller than the previous year, remain a major concern.

    In response, the club issued a statement on its official website denying the allegations, calling them “unfounded” and vowing to defend its innocence “before all authorities and without hesitation”. The statement stressed that “Benfica will defend itself against all unfounded accusations, and from what has been analysed so far, these accusations are indeed unfounded”.

    Although the public prosecutor has called for the club’s activities to be suspended, current sports regulations do not provide for such severe punishment in cases of corruption.

    According to sports law expert Lúcio Correia, “the disciplinary regulations in force at the time [2016 and 2019] only provide for the deduction of points. Since the matches in question cannot be replayed and the competitions have already been homologated, the deduction of points is no longer possible. A fine would be the only applicable sanction”.

    Correia also noted in “Diário de Notícias that the disciplinary system needs to evolve: “The idea that an active crime of corruption, if convicted, could be punished with a mere fine is shocking. The league and the federation should rethink the disciplinary rules”.

    Vitória de Setúbal, meanwhile, expressed hope that “justice will be done”. The club is currently in bankruptcy proceedings and competing in the II Divisão Distrital, a far cry from the top-flight reality it experienced in 2017 when the events came to light.

    The outcome of the ‘Caso dos Mails’ case remains to be seen, but the repercussions of this scandal will continue to reverberate throughout Portuguese football. To prove match-fixing, there must be a passive subject (another club, players, directors, etc.). The same applies to the handling of funds and other offences for which charges have been brought.

    For now, Benfica must focus on its legal defence in order to avoid a possible ban of up to three years, which could lead to relegation and seriously jeopardise its sporting and financial future.

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