Portugal's soccer mafia

the truth surfaces, sooner or later

FC Porto: Leaked Phone Taps Proof in Major Corruption Scandal
by
Jose V. Rodrigues

Correspondent

Written on January 21, 2010
MADRID, SPAIN – DECEMBER 08: FC Porto players celebrate beside referee Stephane Lannoy of France after scoring their third goal during the UEFA Champions League Group D match between Atletico Madrid and FC Porto at the Vicente Calderon stadium on December 8, 2009 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) Denis Doyle/Getty Images

For most Portuguese football fans, the brand “FC Porto” is a synonym of corruption. The leader of the club for over 25 years, Mr. Pinto da Costa, is well known for not only being the most successful executive in the football world, but also because of the corruption scandals, which seem to be constantly associated with him

Not long ago, Platini threatened to ban FC Porto from the Champions League because of the same scandal, which brought many referees and executives to the court. Nonetheless, FCP did not get the ban and Platini became a laughing stock in Portugal.

Not even the Portuguese courts were able to punish FC Porto’s chairman, since the phone records that proved his involvement in the major corruptions scandal were not accepted as proof by the court.

Today the same phone taps, which were overruled by the court house, were posted on YouTube. The content is just a confirmation of what was already known by the general public.

The tapes include mostly talks between the Portuguese executive and major characters of the Portuguese refereeing scene. According to the conversations Pinto da Costa literally handpicked the officials responsible for FC Porto’s fixtures.

Bribes are also a topic. Money is not specifically mentioned, but nonetheless prostitution is broadly discussed under the term “fruit” (prostitutes) and the term “milk and coffee” (which refers to Latin-Brazilian prostitutes), which were offered to referees.

There is also another tape in which the Portuguese executive talks to the then-President of the Portuguese League, in order to ask him for a favor in a disciplinary case against Liedson for elbowing a FC Porto player.

One of the most scandalous tapes for international fans is the one which involves Deco, the famous midfield ace.

The Portuguese midfielder had thrown his boot at a referee after being sent off. Angry about this decision, Pinto da Costa asked a famous journal editor to publish an interview with Deco, in which the player would state that he would reconsider his place in the national team if he was to be punished for his actions against the referee.

The forged interview was carefully prepared, as was the hearing at the League’s Disciplinary Committee. Deco carefully followed the instructions of FC Porto’s chairman and was not punished by the league – a true scandal.

Now, Portugal eagerly awaits the outcome of this situation. Pinto da Costa has already filed a law suit concerning the leaked tapes. The Portuguese General Attorney is following the situation closely, trying to find those responsible for the publishing of those tapes, since they were held under a confidential status.

However, the question remains: How could Pinto da Costa not have been punished by the legal authorities?

Many suspect that Pinto da Costa also has some influence within the justice system, which is not too far-fetched. He has enjoyed some very intimate relationships with many famous politicians who still have a large influence in the legal system.

A “Godfather” plot in Portuguese.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/330214-fc-porto-leaked-phone-taps-proof-major-corruption-scandal

FC Porto’s inclusion in Champions League under threat
17/5/2008
UEFA is to evaluate if FC Porto is allowed to enter next Champion League’s competition after corruption charges brought against the club in Portugal resulted in the club being docked six points. UEFA will only make their decision after they receive the FPF (Portuguese Football Federation) list of Portuguese clubs qualified for the European competitions, which is expected to include the club from Oporto.
A spokesman for UEFA acknowledged that they were aware of FC Porto’s two corruption charges and said they can only evaluate the inclusion in the competition after they receive the list from the FPF.
What makes their enrolment uncertain is the rule that states if a club has been involved in any activity related to influence the outcome of a game, national or international, it cannot enrol in the Champions League.
FC Porto were penalised €150,000 and lost six points. They did not appeal, which in some quarters is seen as a position that could damage their case with UEFA, should the European football body rule against the club, which ended 20 points ahead of second-placed Sporting.
Edition: 959
http://www.the-news.net/cgi-bin/google.pl?id=959-50

FC Porto at risk of being booted out of Champions League

UEFA could exclude Dragons in wake of corruption scandal

FC Porto are at risk of being disqualified from participation in next season’s Champions League owing to the ‘Final Whistle’ corruption scandal.

The Portuguese League’s Disciplinary Committee penalised the three-time Portuguese champions with a six-point penalty and heavy fine, as well as banning club president Pinto da Costa from sporting activity for two years, for having been found guilty of attempting to bribe referees in the 2003/04 season.

The penalty was largely meaningless, given that the Dragons had already won the league by a 20-point margin, but now it has emerged that the club may be thrown out of European competition as a result of their wrongdoings.

It would prove a massive blow to the team, both in terms of prestige and financial rewards. The Portuguese club, along with Manchester United, hold the record number of appearances in what was formerly the European Cup since it adopted the Champions League format.

http://www.portugoal.net/Porto0708/200805141UefaBanPossibility.htm

UEFA rules for the Champions League:

“1.04 To be eligible to participate in the competition, a club must fulfil the following criteria:
(…)
d) it must not be or have been involved in any activity aimed at arranging or
influencing the outcome of a match at national or international level;”,

“Regulations of the UEFA Champions League”, page 2
http://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/19071.pdf