FC Porto Ticket Scandal: Collusion Between Employees and Super Dragões Exposed

The Ministry of the Public (MP) suspects “collusion” between employees connected to FC Porto and a related company and members of Super Dragões in obtaining tickets for football matches that were sold more later on the ‘black market’, which led to today’s investigations.

“From the evidence collected so far and duly recorded, there is no doubt that there are a number of people making huge profits from the illegal sale of tickets, which is clearly damaging to FC Porto, and the State, which is ‘known and accepted’ the club as a bargaining chip for support from the fans”, can be read in the search warrants and in the research that Lusa had access to today.

According to these documents, the MP started with suspicions related to Fernando Madureira, the cheerleader involved, and his wife, Sandra Madureira, and has now passed Operation Praetorian.

There are crimes of distribution and sale of false or irregular securities / irregular distribution and sale and also fiduciary abuse of trust, with non-domestic investigations of administrators Rui Lousa, from Porto Comercial, and Alípio Jorge, responsible for club houses, among others.

The investigation has “already led to the identification of other suspected individuals” in the practice of illegally distributing tickets for the club’s ‘blue and white’ football matches , after also revealing how this operation was later reorganized and adapted to the new reality.Operation Praetorian”, which led to the arrest of the leader of the Super Dragons.

Based on the facts captured in the investigation, it became clear that there was a highly profitable illegal activity around FC Porto ticket so-called – ‘prima facie’ – workers and the organized group of fans Super Dragões”, you can read – if in the study.

Through communication with the club’s staff, Fernando Madwreira collected tickets intended for the cheerleaders but also others identified as athletes, human resources and other names, selling them on the ‘black market’ , when they are only available to club employees.

The “close links” of defenders such as “Aleixo”, Vitor Manuel Oliveira, to the employees of the ‘dragons’ with a view to this scheme are also highlighted in the investigation, which points to Cátia Guedes, who is in charge ticket issuing operation, Fernando Saul, fan liaison officer, Márcia Fonseca, from Porto Comercial, Manuel António Magalhães, ticket office worker, and two “senior elements”, José Pedro Dias and Rui Lousa.

The creation of FC Porto ‘houses’ without corporate headquarters, to receive tickets, resell invitations and other free tickets is described here, as well as the continuation of the illegal operation after Fernando Madureira a arrested.

According to the MP, the cheerleader’s family, in this case the girl and her grandparents, have continued the work which, according to the suspicion, includes conviction and ” collusion” between club employees and cheerleader members.

The PSP said today that “several thousands” of match tickets and cash were recovered in the searches carried out at Porto Comercial and at the FC Porto member store, with several people charged. An official source from the PSP told Lusa that “several thousand tickets to a sporting event, sums of money have already been seized and more than a dozen people have been charged”.

Operação Praetorian investigates the events that took place at the General Assembly (AG) of FC Porto, on November 13, 2023, with the MP claiming that Super Dragões fans intended “a climate of fear and to create fear”, so that the legislative review. to be approved “in the interest” of the ‘blue and white’ leadership at the time, led by Pinto da Costa. On January 31 this year, the PSP arrested 12 people – including two FC Porto employees and the director of the Super Dragões, Fernando Madureira, who remains in pre-trial detention, along with Hugo Carneiro .