The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro launched this Monday (6) the third stage of Operation VAR. The objective is to combat a scheme of manipulating results in matches in Série B of the Carioca Championship, in addition to money laundering crimes. One of the main targets in this phase is defender Luiz Gustavo Lopes dos Santos, who played for Portuguesa-RJ at the time of the facts investigated and currently defends Olaria.
Luiz Gustavo was taken to testify at the specialized police station. Another player under investigation in the same investigation is defender and midfielder Sidney de Freitas Pages, known as Sidão. He played for Nova Iguaçu during the period in question and is now part of the Kings League team Dibrados F.C..
Agents from the Consumer Police Department (Decon) took to the streets to execute three search and seizure warrants. The actions took place in Bangu, in the West Zone of the capital, in Maré, in the North Zone, and at the Nova Iguaçu club headquarters, located in Baixada Fluminense.
Investigations into the sports fraud scheme began in 2024. The Football Federation of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Ferj) was responsible for the complaint, pointing out serious signs of irregularities in several matches held in the state.
The Civil Police point out that Luiz Gustavo is being investigated for allegedly benefiting third parties. The player would have intentionally received a yellow card during the confrontation between Portuguesa and Nova Iguaçu, in February this year, played in the Luso-Brasileiro, for the sixth round of the initial phase of the competition.
The final score of the aforementioned match recorded Portuguesa’s 1-0 victory over Nova Iguaçu.
The suspicion is that the disciplinary warning was previously agreed to favor bettors on various sports betting platforms.
For investigators, the incident is part of a possible scheme to manipulate specific events that occur during games. This practice is popularly known in the betting market as “microbets”, where winnings are obtained from specific facts, such as the application of cards, marking of fouls or corners.
During the execution of the warrants, the police seized several relevant materials. These items will be subjected to detailed analysis to confirm the participation of those investigated and verify whether there are other individuals involved in the scheme.
The Civil Police reported that the investigation remains ongoing. The objective is to identify more participants and clarify the role of each suspect within the criminal structure of match-fixing and money laundering.
The reporting team tries to contact the legal representatives of Luiz Gustavo, Sidney Pages, Nova Iguaçu, Olaria and Dibrados F.C. to obtain their positions.
After being one of the targets of the operation, Luiz Gustavo published a video on his social networks, which was later deleted. In the recording, the defender denied any involvement in the scheme and stated that the courts would have to present evidence of his guilt. “It’s not my fault if people bet on me,” he declared.
Through a note, the Associação Atlética Portuguesa assured that it always acted with responsibility, transparency, ethics and respect for institutions. The club stated that it collaborated with the competent bodies from the outset and adopted all appropriate measures internally.
Players had already been suspended by the Court of Sports Justice
In June, Luiz Gustavo’s name had already emerged in another investigation linked to the championship, which demonstrates the complexity and scope of the investigations. On that occasion, the Rio de Janeiro Court of Sports Justice (TJD-RJ) decided to suspend the defender for 365 days, after considering that his performance on the field was deliberately harmful to the team itself.
In the same decision, defender Sidão, who played for Nova Iguaçu, was also penalized by TJD-RJ. Both parties still have the possibility of appealing the sentences handed down.
The sports trial also imposed sanctions on two other directors of Portuguesa da Ilha do Governador.
The president of Portuguesa, Marcelo Gonçalves, was fined R$5,000, in accordance with article 220-A, which deals with obstruction, omission or lack of cooperation with the Sports Court. Based on the same article, supervisor and former player Muniz also received a fine of R$5,000.
Clarifications from the Portuguese Athletic Association
The Portuguese Athletic Association released an official statement to address the information published in the press this Monday (6), which identified Luiz Gustavo Lopes dos Santos as an athlete from the club. The institution clarified that the aforementioned player no longer maintains any ties with Portuguesa, having been dismissed in February this year, as soon as the board became aware of the ongoing investigations. Due to the process being processed under judicial secrecy, Portuguesa chose not to speak publicly initially, in order to preserve legal secrecy and respect the work of the competent authorities. As of March, when the investigations became public, the Associação Atlética Portuguesa issued an official note informing the athlete’s removal and subsequent dismissal, in addition to clarifying that it had taken all appropriate measures and made itself available to the authorities to fully collaborate. The club reiterates its commitment to sporting integrity, compliance with laws and the defense of the values that guide its history, remaining available for any additional clarifications.
