MLS Player Max Alves Suspended Amid Betting Investigation

• The Brazil Public Ministry is investigating Max Alves for his involvement in a sports betting scandal.
• Alves was allegedly paid by a criminal gambling gang to record a yellow card in a match.
• While Alves has not been charged from the investigation, 16 other players have.

DENVER – The Colorado Rapids suspended midfielder Max Alves following reports of involvement in a Brazilian gambling scheme. Alves joins professional Brazilian soccer players also suspended from their clubs.

A Brazilian report claims that Alves received 60,000 reais ($12,000) to receive a yellow card in a September 2022 match against the LA Galaxy. Alves subbed into the match and recorded a yellow card within 90 seconds of entering.

The spreadsheet released by the Brazilian Public Ministry and included in the report by OGlobo lists Max Alves and many other Brazilian soccer players with payments next to their names.

Prosecutors in the Federal district of Goias are investigating Vitor Mendes, Pedrinho, and other soccer players listed on the document for illegal match fixing. Max Alves is the only current MLS player out of 16 Brazilian soccer players under investigation by the Public Ministry.

Zeca, a former MLS player from the Houston Dynamos, was also referenced in Major League Soccer’s statement on the investigation. The Brazil Public Ministry released text messages that show the gamblers offering Zeca 70,000 reais ($14,000) to receive a yellow card, but he told the gamblers he wasn’t playing in the match.

The Brazilian Soccer Federation has suspended all players under investigation. Assuming suspensions preserved integrity, legal betting sites list odds for Brazil Serie A and the Colorado Rapids matches.

At time of writing, Alves and Zeca are under investigation. But, neither have received any unlawful sports betting charges for their allegations.