FEDERAL POLICE INVESTIGATE FORMER FLAMENGO AND OTHER PLAYERS FOR BEING SCAMMED BY FGTS

This last Sunday (29), a meeting between two goalkeepers trained by Flamengo took place in the first division of Portugal. With Gabriel Batista, Santa Clara beat Boavista, from César, 1-0 and rose to fourth place in the competition.

The confrontation was completely dominated by Santa Clara, which gained access to the elite last season and has had a surprising campaign so far. The goal of the match was scored by striker Vinícius Lopes. The result leaves Gabriel Batista's team with 15 points, behind only Sporting (1st), Porto (2nd) and Benfica (3rd). However, the two former Flamengo goalkeepers were the highlights.

This is because Gabriel Batista did little against Boavista, but he still saved the two balls that went towards the goal. Santa Clara's absolute starter, the archer was very involved with the ball at his feet.

César, who returned to play in an official match after almost two years, received a new chance this Sunday (29). Despite the defeat, the goalkeeper showed he was prepared to take on the position despite the long period of inactivity. He made three difficult saves during the 90 minutes, in addition to intervening outside the box.

The result of the match leaves Boavista de César in 16th place in the Portuguese Championship after seven rounds. The team only has five points, with one win, two draws and four defeats.

Last Friday (27), coach Dorival Júnior called up the 23 players who will represent the Brazilian team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. However, Neymar was left out again, as he has not yet recovered from the serious illness. knee injury. However, the Canarinho coach admitted counting on the striker in 2025.

Dorival Júnior and the general coordinator of the CBF men's teams, Rodrigo Caetano, preached patience regarding Neymar's return and highlighted that the date of return to the field is Al-Hilal's decision.

"We are realizing how important this player is. That in the coming years, from the moment he returns, we can enjoy one of the great players of world football at a landmark moment in his career and in our national team. Let's wait, we are patient, it doesn't matter if he can't return in October, November or only in February", said Dorival before completing.

< "He has to be confident, acting and, above all, completely clear about this injury, which was not simple, it demands time, respect for the procedures that were carried out. It's a matter of waiting and I hope that, in the future, we can enjoy the ability of an athlete like this", declared Dorival.

AWAY FROM THE GRASS FOR ALMOST 1 YEAR

Neymar has been away from the field for 11 months and He has already started working with the ball, but still does not participate in activities with the other Al-Hilal athletes. 

Thus, the CBF plans to send representatives to Saudi Arabia soon to monitor the player's recovery. Even from a distance, the entity follows every step of the athlete's evolution, who has worked with the team's physical preparations.

Forward Paolo Guerrero, ex-Flamengo, was targeted by called the FGTS scam (Service Time Guarantee Fund). Fantástico, from TV Globo, detailed the scheme that diverted more than R$2 million from the Peruvian's benefit and that had other players as targets. Detailed case

Guerrero had R$2.3 million transferred from his FGTS to an account illegally opened in the player's name at a private bank. The account was opened on May 5, 2022 at a branch in the Bom Retiro neighborhood, in the center of São Paulo. On that date, the player was in the USA undergoing knee treatment.

The player's money was sent to the accounts of five people. The biometrics registration at the bank was done using a cell phone registered to the player's fake account. The Peruvian striker's lawyer said he received a call from a former driver saying that people who withdrew the amount wanted to return it.

In addition to Guerreiro, other players were victims of the scam, such as Elano, Cueva, Maikon Leite , Joao Rojas and Ramires. The Fantástico report reported that, for the PF investigation, the gang has been operating since 2014 and involves football businesspeople, bank employees, lawyers and former players. b>

According to the PF, the gang researches athletes who have recently left Inter. Then, with false documents and signatures, he accesses the fund and opens accounts in other banks. Finally, they move the diverted money to the orange account.

"Somehow they accessed the players' real documents to falsify them and open current accounts to receive these diverted FGTS resources", said Caio Porto Ferreira , PF delegate/Caixa-PF task force

Those involved

According to Fantástico, Gustavo Gonçalves de Barros received R$402.7 thousand. He is a partner in a company called FGL Marketing e Esporte. 

His partner, football businessman Fernando Costa de Almeida, sent a power of attorney supposedly signed by Guerreiro to the company in an exchange of messages. According to the TV, the businessman hired a specialized office to investigate the social security situations of professional athletes and take care of transfers.

José Orlando de Almeida is also being investigated. He is the father of a third partner at FGL Marketing e Esporte and a relative of people who received FGTS amounts from the Peruvian player.

The police are still investigating the involvement of Sergio Rogério Melo da Costa in the scheme. In 2021, he was arrested for raping call girls and keeping them in private prison in Rio de Janeiro.

Sérgio's face was used in Guerrero's facial recognition process to open the account, and the Authorities are investigating the participation of a private bank employee. The photos of both were not compared in 2022.

Phases of the coup

The first phase of the coup targeted only Brazilian athletes. According to the police, a member of this gang, José Orlando de Almeida, already carried out the scam between 2014 and 2017. Elano, Maikon Leite and dozens of other athletes were affected.

Marcelo Silva, ex-Santos, is investigated as a facilitator of deviations in this 1st phase. His involvement in the case was not specified.

The second wave of scams only targets foreign players, but many did not register an incident. Cueva had a loss of R$318 thousand, while Joao Rojas lost R$585 thousand. Rojas' FGTS was withdrawn on March 9, 2022 and he has not yet been able to get the money back.

< /p>