Police briefly detained one of Brazilian football’s most powerful men on Monday after searching his home in what they said was an investigation into criminal organisations practising extortion, corruption and financial crimes. Marco Polo del Nero, vice-president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and a member of FIFA’s executive committee, was questioned as part a massive police operation in which authorities served 87 search warrants and made 33 arrests in six Brazilian states. Police did not say if Del Nero would be the subject of any criminal charges, and declined to provide any details on his questioning. But the pre-dawn raid of his home in Sao Paulo was an embarrassment to senior FIFA officials, many of whom are in Brazil this week for a Soccerex trade fair and Saturday’s Confederations Cup draw. The incident also cast an unwanted spotlight on the CBF, which under its previous president Ricardo Teixeira was involved in several corruption and bribery scandals. Teixeira resigned in March after more than two decades on the job, citing health issues. Del Nero, a 71-year old lawyer who represents South America on FIFA’s powerful executive committee, denied any wrongdoing. In an interview with the local news agency UOL Esporte, he said he was questioned for about 20 minutes about personal affairs that are unrelated to his soccer activities.
