São Paulo withdrawals, director payments: R$10m under probe | OneFootball

An investigation being conducted by the Civil Police into São Paulo for alleged embezzlement of money in player negotiations gained new details this Tuesday (23).

The Police are examining withdrawals made from Tricolor’s accounts and cash deposits to club officials during Julio Casares’ administration at São Paulo, which amount to exorbitant sums, according to a report published by the portal UOL.

The website also states that, within the club, the justifications given are that these financial transactions relate to bonuses or incentive payments made by Tricolor.

On São Paulo’s side, the defense remains the same as released on Monday (22), where the club claims to have no knowledge of any ongoing police investigation.

“São Paulo Futebol Clube reports that it has no knowledge of any ongoing Civil Police investigation. The Club is available to provide all necessary clarifications to the authorities, should it be formally notified,” Tricolor stated in a brief press release.

The transactions under investigation involve people from the club’s upper management and large sums of money, exceeding R$ 10 million. The Police are focusing on São Paulo officials and businesspeople suspected of participating in the embezzlement of funds.

The courts have authorized the lifting of banking secrecy for some of the accused in the case, and one of the agents mentioned is considered one of the most important in the football world.

The inquiry at São Paulo began following procedures initiated in the Vai de Bet case at rival Corinthians, and is under the responsibility of delegate Tiago Correia, the same official leading the investigation at the Itaquera club.

Tricolor made over R$ 230 million from player sales this season, with the low values for Cotia youth academy players being heavily questioned.

This is just another stage in the biggest crisis in the club’s history, which is unfolding this year. Still in this turbulent month of December, the crisis in the Medical Department led to dismissals, including the nutritionist who illegally prescribed weight loss medication to players, as well as the Skybox Scandal, which is also under investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.