Rio police probe 650% profit on suspicious yellow-card bets in Carioca 2026 | OneFootball

The Rio de Janeiro civil police are investigating a group that made about 650% profit from linked bets on two yellow cards in a state championship match, according to Globo.com.

The alerts centred on Portuguesa’s 1-0 win over Nova Iguaçu on 7 February at the Luso-Brasileiro. Integrity units flagged an unusual volume of combined bets on bookings for Portuguesa full-back Luis Gustavo and Nova Iguaçu captain Sidão.

Both cautions arrived, with Sidão booked on 35 minutes of the first half and Luis Gustavo three minutes into the second. The referee’s report said each caution followed a reckless challenge.

Investigators say a small group staked about R$ 40,000 on the pair to be cautioned and collected roughly R$ 300,000. The wagers were placed from accounts linked to the same IP address, and potential fraud, active and passive corruption and a possible criminal organisation are being examined.

Luis Gustavo and Sidão gave statements to DECON and denied any connection to bettors. Neither is currently listed as an investigated party.

Sidão reiterated his innocence and said false accusations had harmed his career, while Luis Gustavo declined to comment. Portuguesa removed Luis Gustavo from the squad and restated its commitment to transparency, ethics and respect for institutions. Nova Iguaçu kept Sidão until the end of the competition, later declining to comment and saying it awaits a court decision, and the defender has since joined a Kings League team.

The case is one of 15 inquiries at Decon into possible crimes in Rio football. The state federation says suspected cases fell from 19 in 2022 to 7 in 2023, 3 in 2024 and 2 in 2025.

Source: Globo.com