Argentina: Player allegations link betting to coaching exits
Deportivo Paraguayo striker accused former coaches and a teammate of involvement in betting-related misconduct.
Key Points
- Player Juan Mendoza alleged his ex-coaches at Deportivo Paraguayo left due to betting activity
- He claimed a teammate offered players money to deliberately underperform
- The accusations come as the club prepares for a Copa Argentina qualifying match
Juan Mendoza, a player for Deportivo Paraguayo, alleged that former coaches Claudio Contreras and Carlos Loto were removed because of involvement in sports betting.
According to Mendoza, the duo allegedly used younger players to facilitate illicit schemes, even sending some down to the reserves to carry out what he described as “dirty work.”
He suggested that betting activity had spread beyond the senior team, impacting youth players trying to break into the professional ranks.
The striker did not hold back in naming individuals. He accused Colombian forward Luis Arcilio Velásquez Benítez, still on the club’s books, of offering financial incentives to him and other teammates to “go backwards” in matches.
Mendoza claimed this occurred despite the squad already facing over three months of unpaid wages, which made players more vulnerable to such approaches.
Good to know: Argentina launched campaigns addressing underage gambling and online risks
Mendoza said these weren’t isolated incidents, adding that “thousands of times they played with the dreams of the kids in the lower divisions who sacrifice everything to make their debut.”
Deportivo Paraguayo, which struggled in Argentina’s fourth tier this season, are now seeking qualification to the Copa Argentina through a reduced play-off.
Mendoza’s testimony reinforces ongoing concerns that betting-related manipulation could infiltrate grassroots levels, threatening both competition fairness and youth development.
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