Lula defends ban on betting on yellow and red cards in football

Bruna Garcia November 12, 2024

SiGMA news

Lula defends ban on betting on yellow and red cards in football

The President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, stated in an interview with a national TV network this Sunday (10) that he is in favour of a proposal by Senator Jorge Kajuru so that the government, through a decree, prohibits bets related to yellow and red cards, manual throws, penalties and corners in football matches.

According to the senator’s proposal, it would only be possible to bet on the final result of the football match. The statements were made during an interview with Kajuru and Senator Leila Barros on a podcast, recorded on Wednesday (6).

Lula said he agreed with Kajuru’s proposal after the senator mentioned the case of player Bruno Henrique, from Flamengo. On Tuesday (5), one day before the interview, the Federal Police and the Gaeco (Special Task Force for Combating Organized Crime), from the Federal District Prosecutor’s Office, carried out an operation to investigate possible card manipulation to benefit sports bettors.

The main suspect is the Flamengo striker. The athlete’s family members, including his brother, cousin and sister-in-law, are suspected of having bet on one of the player’s cards. Bruno Henrique is being investigated for a yellow card he received in the 50th minute of the second half of the match between Flamengo and Santos, for the 2023 Brazilian Championship.

In the play, the athlete Soteldo, then at Santos, is close to the corner flag and tries to dribble over Bruno Henrique. The red-and-black player tries to stop him, and referee Rafael Rodrigo Klein calls a foul. After the yellow card, Bruno Henrique received a straight red card for complaining. Santos won 2-1.

“That’s it, I think it’s right. I think it’s right because people can even manipulate the outcome of the game, but it’s much harder than manipulating the yellow card, where the player can, in a mean way, provoke the referee to get a yellow card,” said Lula after the senator presented the proposal.

Another suspicious case

Lula mentioned another case of suspicion related to betting, involving Lucas Paquetá. The Brazilian national team midfielder was accused by the Football Association (FA), the English football federation, of committing fouls to receive yellow cards in four Premier League matches, in 2022 and 2023. The goal, according to the accusation, was to benefit friends of the player who bet on him receiving a yellow card in the matches.

“I think your proposal is the most decent in the world, you bet on the outcome, that’s it,” said Lula to Kajuru.

Stay ahead in iGaming! Subscribe to SiGMA’s Top 10 News and Weekly Newsletter for the latest updates and exclusive offers.