Referee at center of World Cup red-card scandal was investigated for match-fixing in Brazil

Referee Raphael Claus has become the center of attention since issuing American player Folarin Balogun a pivotal red card last week.

However, this isn't the first time the Brazilian referee has been the focus of controversy with a governing body.

'Yes, I asked for a review by FIFA.'

The FIFA World Cup's red card heard around the world, which landed Balogun a one-game suspension, came in the 64th minute of the U.S.' 2-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday.

Even though FIFA lifted Balogun's match ban on Sunday — after a call from President Trump — eyes have been fixated on Claus after details of a match-fixing scandal in his home country have re-emerged.

Claus, along with two other Brazilian referees, were called to testify before a 2024 Senate Parliamentary Inquiry Commission on the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting in Brazil.

According to Brazilian outlet O Dia, Claus and fellow referee Daiane Caroline Muniz were asked to participate in secret sessions regarding particular games in the Brasileirão, the top Brazilian soccer league, where Claus refereed the game and Muniz was working on the video review team.

For both the 2022 and 2023 Brazilian Championships, the two were asked to provide clarification on their use of video review and "any possible influences on match results."

The investigation included videos provided by Rio de Janeiro club Botafogo FR that purportedly showed unaired video footage that contradicted the decisions made by the referees.

That wasn't the only accusation made in the report.

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Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images

Another item that caught the attention of Brazilian soccer officials was the shocking number of games Claus and Muniz worked on together: 11. This was found to be unusual, as it greatly exceeded the typical limit for referees working together, which is a maximum of three, according to O Dia.

Botafogo also reportedly asked that Claus not be allowed to referee one of the team's matches.

The Sporting News also reported that Claus has been accused of handing out "irregular red cards."

At the same time, former referee Glauber do Amaral Cunha was pulled into the investigation over audio where he is allegedly heard complaining about not being able to manipulate a "smaller division" game.

In the end, Claus was found not guilty by the Brazilian Football Confederation and faced no charges. Per the New York Post, investigators found no direct evidence linking Claus to any schemes, and he was not punished.

Muniz is still listed on FIFA's website as a referee and video match official, and Cunha retired before the investigation began.

The Trump call

Blaze News previously reported that President Trump may have placed a phone call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino to ask if FIFA's governing body would review the red card. Blaze News has since independently verified that was indeed the case, with subsequent follow-ups revealing that the president was first notified of the incident by White House FIFA World Cup Task Force executive director Andrew Giuliani.

By Wednesday night, Politico reported, the White House put in motion its attempts to appeal Balogun's suspension, and what followed has been described as four days of lobbying, legal maneuvering, and diplomacy.

Trump made the call on Thursday and, by his own admission, told the FIFA boss "that wasn't a foul."

Trump also said Claus is "a little bit suspect if you check his past" and "made a call that nobody could believe" last week.

"So yes, I asked for a review by FIFA," Trump added.

Meanwhile, Giuliani focused on Claus and those same controversies from recent years. Senior government officials reportedly reviewed Claus' story, making sure to evaluate every angle that they could use in their appeal.

By Sunday, FIFA had decided Balogun did not deserve a suspension, but rather a probationary period, although it did not publish a report on the decision reached by its 18-person disciplinary committee.

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The Post reported that Claus has given out just the one red card in 23 international matches and averages more than four yellow cards per match in Brazil.

Claus also refereed two matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar: England vs. Iran and Canada vs. Morocco.

FIFA and the Brazilian Football Confederation did not responded to requests for comment from Blaze News.

The United States and Belgium play at 8 p.m. ET on Monday at Lumen Field in Seattle.

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