Judicial Police investigates suspicions of corruption in the appointment of arbitrators

The Judiciary Police received a 20-page document detailing suspected corruption in the appointment of arbitrators. Caso was responsible for the departure of Duarte Gomes, then national technical director of arbitration.

This Monday, the newspaper Public reported a 20-page report presented to the Judiciary Police (PJ) with suspicions of corruption in the appointment of arbitrators. The document has a detailed chronology between April and June 2026, with WhatsApp messages, screenshots, calls, audios, video messages and reports of meetings in Cidade do Futebol.

The complaint explains how some appointments were known before the official announcement, which leads to suspicion of contacts between those responsible for arbitration and other people with no role in the appointment process. The first episode reported refers to referee Hélder Malheiro, who on April 21st received a call from Pedro Garcia, former referee and now sports commentator, to be informed that he was going to direct the duel between Moreirense and Estrela da Amadora, on the 32nd round. A telephone contact in which it was also indicated that Fábio Veríssimo was going to direct Estrela's next game, then fighting for maintenance, at the time hosting Famalicão, from the 33rd. None were officially known. 

Hélder Malheiro will have received the indication, from Pedro Garcia, that Estrela da Amadora's triumph could favor the referee's continuation in the first category. A possibility that allegedly arose from conversations between Luciano Gonçalves, president of the Arbitration Council, and Paulo Lopo, leader of Estrela da Amadora.

Furthermore, Luciano Gonçalves even sent a message to Hélder Malheiro hours before the opening whistle, a screenshot of which was saved by the referee. It is from here that an internal investigation was launched by the Portuguese Federation to assess interference in the appointment and referees. 

Luciano Gonçalves was confronted with this fact on May 26, at a meeting at Cidade de Futebol, and denied any leak of information.