Cyprus is in the middle of a brewing international sports scandal now that a Brazilian football player who was charged in a recent match-fixing misconduct has been loaned to first division club Pafos.
An Associated Press report on Monday said Alef Manga, 28, is accused of accepting a bribe of about $11,000 to get booked in a Brazilian championship match involving his club Coritiba last year.
And that the South American player cannot play in Brazil until he stands trial for his involvement in the match-fixing scandal that was revealed in November.
However, the ban does not extend to other countries and he has already said in his social media channels that he was loaned to Pafos FC.
Brazilian media reported Pafos will pay 300,000 euros for Manga’s loan so he remains in Cyprus until June of next year.
A district attorney told The Associated Press in May that the scandal has potential international reach.
Moreover, local media reported that suspected criminals mentioned having contacts in the United States, Greece and Lithuania.
Philenews has contacted vice-president of the island’s Ethics and Sports Protection Committee Efthymios Efthymiou who said it was premature to say anything about the case.
And that if evidence emerges “then we will investigate it in a professional manner and within the scope of our responsibilities.”
At the same time, a Pafos FC officials who asked for anonymity said they reached agreement for the transfer of the said player based on his football skills.
“If there is anything illegal, then we will comply, as we would in any player’s case,” he added.
Philenews asked the club official to get them in touch with Manga himself so that they could take his side of the story but he refused citing a communication issue. He also said that the player’s agent is Brazilian.
