February 16 – A former Portuguese referee is under investigation for allegedly receiving up to €1.9 million from Benfica which could, if proven, reportedly lead to the Lisbon club being sensationally relegated.
The scandal came to light on Monday when several media outlets reported that the Portuguese Prosecutor’s Office and the Judicial Police (PJ) had detected that the company ‘Best for Business’, set up by Benfica, allegedly paid the money to Bruno Paixão (pictured) in return for favours on the pitch.
The former referee, now retired from official competitions after more than 30 years, has a controversial past due to questionable decisions in matches.
Best for Business is said to have purchased consultancy services for €1.9 million but Portuguese media reports suggest those services were never provided.
Benfica itself denies all allegations of corruption.
“The club has never been confronted with allegations of this nature, even in conjunction with the name Bruno Paixão,” a statement said.
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