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Three Brazilian footballers have been banned for life from the "beautiful game" by FIFA, as punishment for their complicity in match-fixing.
The sentence was handed down on Monday (September 11) in response to an ongoing Brazilian match-fixing scandal that has transfixed Brazilian politics since it was uncovered by police in the state of Goiás in February.
Ygor Catatau, Gabriel Tota and Matheus Gomes were all banned by FIFA at the request of the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) after the ruling from the Brazilian Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD). Before FIFA stepped in, their bans were national and not international.
Eight other players have had their playing bans extended for the time being: Paulo Sérgio, Paulo Miranda, Fernando Neto, Eduardo Bauermann, Mateusinho, André Queixo, Moraes and Kevin Lomónaco.
Certain players’ plans to avoid punishment by going abroad to play backfired, as was the case with Eduardo Bauermann, whose defection to Alanyaspor in Turkey did not save him.
After FIFA’s judgment was handed down, the Turkish Football Federation terminated his contract.
Other players outside Brazil are being summoned back to answer allegations related to activities in leagues abroad, most famously West Ham player Lucas Paquetá.
Last week, a special investigatory commission (CPI) in Brazil's Chamber of Deputies approved a motion to summon Paquetá to testify.
Paquetá has yet to appear before any federation nor to respond to the summons. If he does not, he may be forced to by the police, although this has not happened in the history of the CPI.
For Paquetá to be banned from the sport there would have to be a request made by the English Federation to FIFA at the conclusion of its own investigation into allegations that the West Ham player purposefully received a yellow card in order to fix the outcome of betting markets.
Brazil's CPI on match-fixing had been due to conclude its investigation as soon as tomorrow (September 14), although at least one additional hearing is now scheduled to occur next week to receive public testimony from the head of Brazil's football federation.
The final report and legislative recommendations of the CPI were meant to be presented on Monday but were postponed.
