Disciplinary Council ruling on Alleged Grooming of Players Revealed – Benfica cleared of misconduct

Information contained in the Disciplinary Council ruling

The Disciplinary Council of the Portuguese Football Federation revealed, this Friday, the ruling regarding the archiving of the process that investigated alleged grooming of players from Rio Ave, Marítimo and Boavista, before games with Benfica, in the 2016/17 and 2017/18.

The document states that, in addition to César Boaventura, there was another businessman who contacted Cássio, then Rio Ave’s goalkeeper, before the game with Benfica in 2017/18.

The ruling states that «it is sufficiently indicted that player intermediary João Carlos Pinheiro Paula, three days before the predicted game, contacted the player from Rio Ave FC, SDUQ, Lda., Cássio Albuquerque dos Anjos, by telephone and, after questioning him about what was your feeling and that of the team in relation to the game, you made reference to the fact that the previous year it didn’t work out, it didn’t go very well [Cássio dos Anjos entendeu que esta referência tinha que ver com uma abordagem que tinha sido feita na época anterior pelo empresário César Boaventura para que o mesmo facilitasse a derrota do Rio Ave no jogo disputado contra o Benfica]. At that time, the player Cássio dos Anjos told him that if the matter had to do with the game that would be played that weekend against Benfica that it wouldn’t even be worth continuing to talk and hung up the phone”, the document further adds, on page 35.

In the following point it is explained that, «even if it is understood that from this factuality a possible attempt to entice the player by the intermediary João Carlos Pinheiro Paula could emerge, it would always be impossible, in the terms and with the grounds already adduced, to attribute this conduct to Sport Lisboa e Benfica – Futebol, SAD, despite the interest that this sports society had in the result of this game».

With regard to possible disciplinary action regarding the aforementioned businessman, the Disciplinary Council refers to what it decided regarding César Boaventura: the Disciplinary Regulations do not consider intermediaries as sports agents, and therefore cannot apply punishments.

news-item-description ellipsis-2-line">Benfica nor the businessman will have consequences from the point of view of sporting justice

2024-02-23 23:31:00
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