NDTV reported that Brazilian authorities are currently investigating whether members of the Brazilian, Argentine and Spanish football federations ahd been involved in the illicit sale of World Cup tickets following the dismantling of a scalping group. Rio de Janeiro prosecutor Marcos Kac has said that the brother and agent of football star Ronaldinho, Roberto de Assis Moreira, will be questioned regarding the case.
The ticket probe comes as the 2014 World Cup prepares to enter its concluding stage, were winners of the quarterfinal matches are expected to battle against each other for the tournament championship. Maracana stadium will be witnessing the match between France and Germany. The winner of the match will be facing either Brazil or tournament underdog Colombia, who will be fighting off for a chance to advance in Fortaleza also on Friday.
On Tuesday, 11 people were arrested for allegedly selling tickets that may have been procured through a FIFA contact, according to authorities. The tickets that were being sold to unsuspecting fans were the ones handed out by FIFA to sponsors, football federations, players and non-governmental organizations, the Express Tribune reported.
Kac added, "Ronaldinho's brother told some of his friends that they could buy tickets through this system. If we see that he has any relationship with this group, if we see that he collaborated in any way, then he would be involved. For now, he isn't."
It has also been determined that the scalping ring was led by Algerian named Mohamadou Lamine Fofana, whom Kac acknowledged has been under investigation for the last three months.
Kac said, "The group charged a lot of money for each game," said Kac. "It was 1,000 tickets per game, with a basic price of €1,000."
The Tribune said nine of the suspects were held in Rio, and two of them were detained in Sao Paolo.
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