FC Porto accused of match fixing

Portuguese champions FC Porto have been formally accused of fixing two domestic fixtures in the 2003-04 season. The games in question, against Estrela da Amadora and Beira Mar, came in the same year ex-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho led Porto to Champions League glory.

Mourinho, who won the Champions League as well as the domestic title that season before moving to Chelsea, is not thought to be subject of the investigation. Porto could be subjected to a points deduction or even relegation if found guilty, as well as a financial penalty and stripping of that season’s league championship.

The 2003-04 Portuguese season has been scrutinised before. In December 2004 Portuguese police raided both Porto’s offices and the home of president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa as part of an investigation entitled “Operation Golden Whistle.” At the time, little seem to come of those operations but now it seems as though there could be a scandal engulfing one of Portugal’s biggest clubs.

Porto could be docked points from this campaign – in which they currently lead Benfica by 16 points – or face relegation to the second division. Jorge Pinto da Costa, the club president, could also face a ban of between two to 10 years if found guilty of corruption or six months to two years for attempted corruption.