SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian club Flamengo has shielded winger Bruno Henrique after he was reportedly accused by federal police of intentionally getting a yellow card in a match.
Local media reported earlier this week that Bruno Henrique was formally accused of getting booked in a Brazilian league match in 2023 so members of his family could profit from it on a betting website.
Coach Filipe Luís said in the early hours of Thursday that the 34-year-old player, who has made two appearances for Brazil’s national team, should be presumed innocent.
“I spoke to him. He is fine, absolutely fine. He showed up with all his teammates. The only thing we ask for is the presumption of innocence. A person who has the right to defend himself against the accusations,” the coach said after Flamengo’s 6-0 victory over Juventude at the Maracana Stadium late Wednesday.
“His behavior is that of a person who is completely calm, who went on the field today, was a teammate of his teammates, was a friend of his friends and is absolutely fine,” the coach said, adding that he plans to keep Bruno Henrique in the squad.
Brazil’s federal police, who confirmed last year they were investigating Bruno Henrique, did not say whether they had formally accused him after news reports emerged. The player has not spoken about the case, either.
The reports showed an alleged message exchange obtained by federal police between the player and his family members, in which he said he was going to be booked against Santos. Bruno Henrique received a yellow card in that game. It also shows an unusually high number of bets on the Flamengo winger being booked.
Flamengo said on Tuesday it had not been informed by any authorities about the reports on Bruno Henrique, who has helped the club win two Copa Libertadores titles.
Local media have reported that many of the suspicious bets for the player's booking against Santos came from his hometown of Belo Horizonte.
Flamengo leads the Brazilian league with 10 points after four matches.
In May of last year, West Ham and Brazil national team midfielder Lucas Paquetá was charged by English soccer authorities amid allegations he had deliberately received cards during Premier League matches to influence betting markets. Paquetá denies any wrongdoing.
In 2023, investigations by prosecutors in the state of Goias brought charges of alleged manipulation of sports competitions against 15 players across the top two tiers and local leagues. Many of them were suspended from playing the sport in Brazil.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Bruno Henrique of Brazil's Flamengo controls the ball during a Copa Libertadores round of 16 second leg soccer match against Paraguay's Olimpia at Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asuncion, Paraguay, Aug. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File)
ADELBODEN, Switzerland (AP) — The big surprise of the World Cup slalom season scored his second win Sunday adding to his fast-rising reputation before the Winter Olympics.
Paco Rassat raced to the fastest time in the second run to rise from fourth place, and push two Norwegians down the podium steps after they had been fastest in the morning run.
United States-born Atle Lie McGrath was edged out by 0.18 seconds and first-run leader Henrik Kristoffersen dropped to third, trailing 0.20 behind Rassat.
The 27-year-old Frenchman had a career-best result of ninth in World Cup races before this Olympic season started.
Rassat now has two wins, a third place and two sixth places this season and shapes as a medal contender for the Milano Cortina Olympics. The men’s slalom is on Feb. 16 at Bormio.
“To win on this crazy hill at Adelboden, It’s something really unbelievable," Rassat told Swiss broadcaster RTS, describing his season as “a magnificent surprise.”
Rassat also took the lead in the seasonlong World Cup slalom standings, ahead of his France teammate Clément Noël, the defending Olympic champion. Noël tied for eighth Sunday.
McGrath was runner-up in the Adelboden slalom for the third time in four years.
“It’s kind of crazy,” said McGrath, whose father Felix skied for the U.S. at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. “I’m of course super happy, it’s such a challenging slope and mentally it’s one of the toughest places to perform because of this amazing crowd.”
Another packed finish-area crowd at Adelboden observed a minute’s silence before racing for the victims of the fatal fire in a bar in nearby Crans-Montana on New Year’s Day. Crans-Montana hosts men’s and women’s World Cup races in three weeks’ time.
The World Cup overall standings leader, four-time title holder Marco Odermatt, does not ski slalom and his huge lead was cut a little by Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who placed fourth. Pinheiro Braathen was second to Odermatt in the classic giant slalom Saturday.
The men’s World Cup circuit stays in central Switzerland for the storied Lauberhorn meeting at Wengen, for a super-G on Friday, the classic downhill Saturday and a slalom Sunday.
AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
Norway's Atle Lie McGrath reacts at the finish line during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen reacts at the finish line during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
France's Paco Rassat speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Zenoni)
France's Paco Rassat reacts at the finish line during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Finland's Eduard Hallberg speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Norway's Atle Lie McGrath speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Zenoni)
Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen ahead of an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
