Benfica is one of the most prestigious clubs in Portugal and Europe, a two-time Champions League winner and known for its "black shop" of buying low and selling high. This season, Benfica has performed very well in both domestic and European competitions, and they are currently leading the Portuguese Premier League with five points; And in the Champions League, they are just one step away from reaching the quarter-finals after beating Club Brugge 2-0 away in the first leg. However, the historic and accomplished club is now facing a big problem – they are accused of match-fixing.
On the evening of February 21, local time, Portugal's local media TVI exposed heavy news. Portugal's public authorities and prosecutors believe Benfica is involved in match-fixing and football corruption cases. If the issue is confirmed, Benfica will face a series of heavy fines. In this report, former Benfica player and 30-year-old Guinea-Bissau right-back Alfa Semedo's name was mentioned.
Semedo grew up in Benfica's youth academy and joined Morerens, another Portuguese Premier League side, in the summer of 2017. In the 2017-18 season, Porto sealed the league title early, while Benfica and Sporting Portugal were in a fierce battle to qualify for next season's Champions League play-offs. Before the final round of the league, Benfica tied for second place in the table with 78 points from Sporting de Portugal. In the league finale, Benfica faced Semedo's Morerens. Shortly after the start of the second half, Semedo received a penalty opportunity for a handball in the box, with which Benfica won 1-0. Thanks to Sporting Portugal's final defeat, Benfica won the Portuguese Premier League runners-up that season and qualified for the Champions League play-offs, which also meant at least 43 million euros more in revenue for the new season.
Alpha · Semedo sent the final round
Notably, shortly after the end of the 2017-18 season, Benfica bought back 50% ownership of Semedo for €2.5 million, allowing Semedo to return to Benfica. But just six months later, Semedo was loaned out by Benfica, and after moving to multiple teams, he now plays in the Saudi league.
After a preliminary investigation, the Portuguese public sector and prosecutors believe that Semedo's handball in the final round of the league was intentional, and his return to Benfica immediately after the end of the season heightened this suspicion. In addition, there are financial problems with the transfer deal between Benfica and Morerens in relation to Semedo. In response to the allegations, a Benfica insider said: "We will not comment on the prosecutor's secret investigation process. And Morelens Club president Victor Magalães said: "The club's deal for Semedo is in line with the relevant regulations of the Portuguese Premier League.
It would be irresponsible to associate Morérence with any allegations. Although we are a small and humble club, we are also a very serious club. We do business with a lot of clubs, but that's only because trading gives us more profit. - Morelens Club President Victor Magalens
Alpha · Semedo
In addition to the "Semedo case", the Portuguese judiciary also intercepted the then president of Benfica, Luis Felipe · Patrick Vieira and then-Portuguese sports manager Jorge · A private conversation between Jesus, who had been in charge of Benfica for six years before coaching Sporting Portugal. Vieira once described their relationship, "I think we both pretended to be confused. The judicial officers determined that since April 27, 2018, the connection between Vieira and Jesus has become close, and the exchange of information between the two has become more frequent before the start of the derby between Fica and Sporting de Portugal on May 6, 2018. In that match, Benfica, who played away, drew 0-0 with Sporting de Portugal. Now, Portuguese prosecutors suspect Vieira and Jesus of rigging the outcome of that match.
Jesus returned to Benfica for the 2020-21 season, but was soon sacked and is currently in charge of Fenerbahce.
It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time Benfica has been questioned by fans and the media. Back in June 2017, Vieira was accused of tax fraud and money laundering. A year and a half later, Vieira, who had worked for Benfica for 18 years, was arrested. In a statement from prosecutors, Vieira was charged with a huge fraud of $107 million. And in 2020, two years after Vieira's arrest and resignation, Rui Costa took over as president of Benfica Club.
In addition, Benfica now faces another charge - paying referee Bruno Paisau almost $2 million through its third-party company, "Best for Business". At present, the investigation is strictly confidential by the club and investigators, and the future fate of Benfica and Rui Costa can only be answered by time.
Of course, that's not the whole story. On February 21, Portuguese football broke another hot news. The court postponed for the 5th time the sentencing of Paolo Gonzalves, former legal adviser of Benfica, as well as two public officials of the justice system, José Silva and Julio Loreiro, on the grounds of the "bailiffs strike". Originally, the sentencing date was November 4, 2022.
Former Benfica President Luis Felipe · Vieira
A former legal adviser to Benfica, 53-year-old Gonsalves has been called "Vieira's most trusted man". According to the Prosecutor's Office, Gonsalves, through the bailiff José Silva, illegally obtained information about legal proceedings at least 187 times, thus judging the course of the case and foreseeing judicial decisions in advance. In exchange, Gonsalves offered Silva tickets to Benfica matches, football merchandise, and VIP service in the home VIP box, among other things. In addition, Gonçalves bribed Julio Loreiro, a court clerk and former referee of the Portuguese Professional League, to illegally obtain judicial notices for the hearing, confidential information about the investigation, and the names of the jury.
During surveillance operations, the Judicial Police discovered that Gonçalves (center) paid bribes to "internal traitors" who provided Benfica with confidential information about the justice system.
From this point of view, Benfica's corruption and match-fixing cases have eroded into the justice system. People say, "pull out the radish and bring out the mud", presumably as the investigation continues to deepen, those corrupt elements who succeed for a while will inevitably reveal their original form one by one...