SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian club Flamengo has shielded winger Bruno Henrique after he was reportedly accused by federal police of intentionally getting a yellow card in a match.
Local media reported earlier this week that Bruno Henrique was formally accused of getting booked in a Brazilian league match in 2023 so members of his family could profit from it on a betting website.
Coach Filipe Luís said in the early hours of Thursday that the 34-year-old player, who has made two appearances for Brazil’s national team, should be presumed innocent.
“I spoke to him. He is fine, absolutely fine. He showed up with all his teammates. The only thing we ask for is the presumption of innocence. A person who has the right to defend himself against the accusations,” the coach said after Flamengo’s 6-0 victory over Juventude at the Maracana Stadium late Wednesday.
“His behavior is that of a person who is completely calm, who went on the field today, was a teammate of his teammates, was a friend of his friends and is absolutely fine,” the coach said, adding that he plans to keep Bruno Henrique in the squad.
Brazil’s federal police, who confirmed last year they were investigating Bruno Henrique, did not say whether they had formally accused him after news reports emerged. The player has not spoken about the case, either.
The reports showed an alleged message exchange obtained by federal police between the player and his family members, in which he said he was going to be booked against Santos. Bruno Henrique received a yellow card in that game. It also shows an unusually high number of bets on the Flamengo winger being booked.
Flamengo said on Tuesday it had not been informed by any authorities about the reports on Bruno Henrique, who has helped the club win two Copa Libertadores titles.
Local media have reported that many of the suspicious bets for the player's booking against Santos came from his hometown of Belo Horizonte.
Flamengo leads the Brazilian league with 10 points after four matches.
In May of last year, West Ham and Brazil national team midfielder Lucas Paquetá was charged by English soccer authorities amid allegations he had deliberately received cards during Premier League matches to influence betting markets. Paquetá denies any wrongdoing.
In 2023, investigations by prosecutors in the state of Goias brought charges of alleged manipulation of sports competitions against 15 players across the top two tiers and local leagues. Many of them were suspended from playing the sport in Brazil.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Mauricio Savarese, The Associated Press
