Is Brazil’s new match-fixing bill a witch hunt?

Júlia Moura August 16, 2024

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Is Brazil’s new match-fixing bill a witch hunt?

The Constitution and Justice Commission of the Chamber of Deputies has taken another step in its efforts to regularise sports betting by approving Bill 515/2023, presented by Deputy Bandeira de Mello. The proposal includes important changes to the Brazilian Sports Fan Statute (Law 10.671/03), specifically to increase the penalties for sports professionals who engage in match-fixing. The text still needs to be voted on in the Chamber of Deputies and by the Federal Senate to become law.

De Mello Brazil — ***de Mello, took to social media to express his delight at the approval of the Bill***.

What is in the new Bill?

The Brazilian Sports Fan Statute currently provides for a penalty of imprisonment ranging from two to six years, in addition to a fine. The new bill proposes to increase the penalty by up to 50% for professionals, including athletes, referees, officials, assistants and video referees. This measure has as its main objective to deter match-fixing, ensuring that the integrity of the sport is preserved.

de Mello has emphasised that the intention of the proposal is not a witch hunt: “Football is much more than a sport, entertainment or business. Football needs to be respected and seen in its true dimension, as an inducer of public policies. In addition, the measure is important to guarantee the legal security of sponsors, investors and sports organisations. Although match-fixing is not new or exclusive to Brazil, it is essential to act to implement significant legislative changes, including stricter sanctions to further enhance the value of football.”

de Mello, took to social media to express his delight at the approval of the Bill and his gratitude to rapporteur Orlando Silva and his colleagues “for their efforts in defending the bill”. He added that it “is essential to implement measures to protect the integrity of football and guarantee the credibility of the sport, as well as ensuring the legal security of sponsors and investors.”

International efforts against match-fixing

In a related development, the Deutscher Sportwettenverband (DSWV), the German association of sports betting operators, announced that Euro 24 was free of match-fixing. Alongside other stakeholders, UEFA and the DSWV formed an Anti-Match Fixing Group to monitor the field and betting market, educate, and proactively prevent issues.

With the approval of the Constitution and Justice Commission, the Brazilian match-fixing Bill now advances to the next legislative stages, where it will be analysed and voted on in the Plenary of the Chamber and later in the Federal Senate.

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