PJ criminal police and the Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DCIAP) are this morning searching the facilities of football clubs FC Porto and Portimonense as part of an investigation into alleged crimes of fraud, falsification of documents and money laundering.
Under investigation are a series of suspicious deals between the two clubs, Sábado magazine reports. TVI is also reporting Portimonense may have lost matches against FC Porto purposely.
The searches are taking place at the facilities of the clubs’ S.A.Ds (Sociedade Anónima Desportiva, or Anonymous Sport Society) – a type of company that divides the club’s capital into stocks, which can then be purchased by investors.
FC Porto president Pinto da Costa is among those under investigation, as well as Teodoro Fonseca – a football agent and the main shareholder of Portimonense’s SAD.
The workplaces and computers of Rodiney Sampaio and Edgar Vilaça – president and financial director of Portimonense’s SAD – are also being searched, Sábado reports.
The link between the two clubs has been widely reported for years. Teodoro Fonseca was the agent of former FC Porto player Hulk and was involved in the deal that saw the Brazilian forward being sold to Russian club Zenit for around €40 million in 2012.
Says Sábado, several deals between the two clubs have aroused suspicion, such as the transfers of footballers Danilo Pereira, Paulinho, Galeno, Fede Varela, Rafa Soares and Everton.
Their suspicions are believed to stem from documents made public by hacker Rui Pinto during the ‘Football Leaks’ leak scandal, the magazine adds.
