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Another gambling investigation has hit the sports world, this time in professional soccer. Max Alves of the Colorado Rapids has been suspended as the team digs into his potential link to unlawful sports betting.
ESPN’s David Purdum broke the news on Thursday, saying that the reported incident centers around a yellow card from a September match in 2022.
The Rapids have released a statement on the suspension, saying, “We are aware of the reports regarding a Colorado Rapids player in connection with unlawful sports gambling. We take matters of this nature seriously and see at all times to protect the integrity of the game. They player has been removed from all team activities while MLS conducts an investigation into the matter.”
Major League Soccer also issued a similar statement.
The incident seems to be connected to a Wednesday bust in Brazil that saw 16 people charged with alleged match fixing. Seven of those players were professional soccer players.
A report from O Globo, a Brazilian news outlet, linked Max Alves to that investigation by alleging that he was paid $12,000 to receive a yellow card in a game against the Galaxy on September 17th of last year.
Alves landed the card about a minute and a half after entering play.
Fans have been quick to comment on the report.
One person said, “Sports betting threatens the integrity of the game but I don’t see any way of doing away with it.”
Someone else wrote, “The Brazilian gambling scandal from last week has become officially international.”
This fan thinks it’s already a widespread issue across all sports leagues, posting, “The dark side of sports gambling is probably happening in the NHL, NBA, MLB, and NFL already in my opinion.”
This is the latest gambling investigation seen in US sports over the last few weeks.
Alabama baseball recently fired head coach Brad Bohannon for his link to suspicious activity at an Ohio sportsbook. Iowa and Iowa State have also seen investigations launched within their athletic departments.