The Scandal: In 2005, Brazil’s First Division became embroiled in a scandal that became known as Mafia do Apito (“Whistle’s Mafia”). The incident arose when rich bettors decided to fix some matches by paying two referees a hefty sum of cash. The scandal rocked Brazilian soccer and drew into question the results of several high profile matches.
The Participants: The two referees, Edilson Pereira de Carvalho and Paulo Jose Danelon, were allegedly approached by Nagib Fayad, a rich entrepeneur, and asked to fix the results of several Brazilian National Championship Games. Together, the two referees made tens of thousands of dollars through their actions.
The Investigation: The Brazilian magazine Veja broke the story, and public opinion against the referees was nasty and criminal charges soon followed. Eleven National Championship Games had their results nullified due to Carvalho’s questionable calls. Several other games were suspected to have been fixed by the two referees.
The Legacy: Brazilian soccer has been cleaned up a great deal due to this deplorable scandal. Unfortunately, Carvalho wasn’t just a Brazilian soccer referee, but he was also a member of the FIFA referee staff, bringing into question the results of some international matches. All in all, it was a very dark day for soccer and the public’s trust.
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