John Textor, the majority owner of Botafogo, intensified his claims of corruption in the 2023 Brasileirão, accusing last year’s tournament of being manipulated in favor of Palmeiras.
In a series of videos released on social media, Textor critiqued the VAR decision in Botafogo’s 4-3 loss to Palmeiras, particularly focusing on the controversial red card given to defender Adryelson.
🚨 | John Textor acaba de publicar esse vídeo sobre a manipulação do VAR. pic.twitter.com/B338Y5cfN7
— Informa Fogo (@informafogo) June 6, 2024
Textor argued that the foul did not warrant a direct expulsion and criticized the choice of replay angles used by the VAR team, led by Rafael Traci.
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The timing of these revelations coincided with Palmeiras president Leila Pereira’s testimony at the CPI on the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting, where she advocated banning Textor from Brazilian football.
In response, Textor publicly denounced Senator Jorge Kajuru, a known Palmeiras supporter, accusing him of seeking publicity rather than addressing serious issues in Brazilian football.
Textor has repeatedly claimed that Palmeiras benefited from rigged outcomes over the last three seasons, alleging that he possesses recordings of referees discussing unfulfilled bribe promises. However, he has yet to provide concrete evidence to support his accusations.
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