Operação Penalidade Máxima (literally Operation Maximum Penalty), is an ongoing Brazilian football match-fixing scandal investigation being performed by the Public Ministry of Goiás.
Overview
On 14 February 2023, a criminal organization that operated to manipulate the results of football matches in Campeonato Brasileiro Série B of the Brazilian Championship was the target of an operation by the Public Ministry of the State of Goiás (MPGO).
The investigation began with three matches from the Série B. All took place in the last round: Vila Nova 0–0 Sport Recife, Criciúma 2–0 Tombense and Sampaio Corrêa 2–1 Londrina. The scheme would have an estimated profit of R$ 2 million, if a penalty kick were committed in all three of them. Two of them had penalties, but no penalties occurred in the Vila Nova match, because the player who initially received R$10,000 to commit the penalty did not play the match.
On 18 April 2023, a second phase of the operation was launched, named Operação Penalidade Máxima II. It was also carried out by the Public Ministry of Goiás (MPGO), through the Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime (Gaeco) and the Coordination of Institutional Security and Intelligence (CSI). The action aims to obtain new evidence on the manipulation of results of professional football matches – including the 2022 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. According to the MPGO, there are suspicions that the criminal group has actually acted in at least five games, as well as in five state championship matches, including the state championships in Goiás, Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso and São Paulo, all in the year 2023.
Suspects involved
At the start of the second phase, 16 people were involved in the investigations. This number increased after new outcomes, on 10 May.
Initially, four players admitted their involvement with the match-fixing scandal, and were not indicted: Kevin Lomónaco (Red Bull Bragantino), Moraes (at the time at Juventude), Nikolas Farias (Novo Hamburgo) and Jarro Pedroso (Inter de Santa Maria). On 9 May 2023, Moraes (at the time at Juventude) reached an agreement with the Public Ministry after admitting his involvement, and became a witness in the investigations. Thirteen days later, Bryan García (Athletico Paranaense) followed suit.
On 26 May 2023, two more players became witnesses after reaching an agreement with the Public Ministry: Diego Porfírio (at the time at Coritiba) and Nino Paraíba (at the time at Ceará).
Players
The following players had the complaint of manipulation accepted by the Public Ministry: Eduardo Bauermann (centre-back, Santos) Gabriel Tota (midfielder, at the time at Juventude) Victor Ramos (centre-back, at the time at Portuguesa) Igor Cariús (left-back, at the time at Cuiabá) Paulo Miranda (centre-back, at the time at Juventude) Fernando Neto (midfielder, at the time at Operário Ferroviário) Matheus Gomes (goalkeeper, at the time at Sergipe) Vitor Mendes (centre-back, at the time at Juventude) Nino Paraíba (right-back, at the time at Ceará) Romário (midfielder, at the time at Vila Nova) Joseph (centre-back, at the time at Tombense) Mateusinho (right-back, at the time at Sampaio Corrêa) Gabriel Domingos (forward, at the time at Vila Nova) Alan Godói (centre-back, at the time at Sampaio Corrêa) André Queixo (midfielder, at the time at Sampaio Corrêa) Ygor Catatau (forward, at the time at Sampaio Corrêa) Paulo Sérgio (centre-back, at the time at Sampaio Corrêa)