Santos end contract of player caught up in bribery scandal

Brazilian club Santos said Thursday they have terminated the contract of defender Eduardo Bauermann, who has been implicated in a match-fixing scandal rocking Brazilian soccer.

The club said the 27-year-old had signed an agreement to end his contract, which was due to run to 2024.

Bauermann is the subject of an investigation by the judiciary of the state of Goias, which in November uncovered a criminal gang fixing first and second division soccer matches.

According to the Goias Public Prosecutor's Office, at least fifteen matches were fixed last year, including eight in the first division.

Players were paid for specific actions in a match such as drawing yellow or red cards.

Santos suspended Bauermann in May and the football authorities gave him a 12-match ban in June.

He escaped a lifetime ban from soccer because he refused to provoke a red card in a match last November. He returned the money to the gang.

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"I would like to apologize first of all to the club, and also to my teammates and fans who, in some way, were affected by the repercussions of the reports," Bauermann said in a video. "Even though I regretted it and did not do anything that was proposed to harm my team, I was greatly harmed."

Brazilian media reported that Bauermann could continue his career in Turkey.

Twenty-five people are being prosecuted, including 15 footballers.