League boss main suspect in “Golden Whistle” scandal

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The president of the Portuguese Professional League, Valentim Loureiro, has been accused of being the main instigator in a referee bribery scandal, known as the “Golden Whistle” in Portugal. The Diario de Noticias said tax authorities named Loureiro as the man responsible for initiating the scandal, which involves bribing referees with golden watches to ensure results.

Lourei, the mayor of northern Portuguese town Gondomar, is reported to have used his influence to promote then Referee Commission (CAFPF) president Jose Antonio Sousa in exchange for favours involving favourable results for Gondomar, then in the second division, with hopes the team would be promoted to the top division. Another newspaper, the Correio da Mahna, has called for Porto president Nuno Pinto da Costa to be reprimanded for “passive corruption and falsification of documents.” Costa was involved in selecting match officials during the time of the allegations.

Investigators started their look into bribery charges in March of 2004 after an anonymous letter outlining the operation was mailed to the police. Da Costa has already had to pay EUR 125,000 in bail funds as part of the ongoing investigation. Other high-profile figures involved have been Nacional president Rui Alves, Boavista president Avelino Ferreira Torres, Leiria mayor Joao Loureiro and nine referees.