Former Mumbai City forward Ygor Catatau permanently banned from football

The forward scored three goals for the Islanders during his stay.

Football is often considered to be the most beautiful sport that the planet has ever witnessed. But, just like a coin has two sides, the beautiful game also has an ugly side which has been uncovered in the past multiple times and most recently in Brazil.

The Brazilian court has sanctioned multiple football players who were involved in match-fixing and other unfair means, including former Mumbai City FC striker Ygor Catatau. Catatau plied his trade with the Islanders for a very short time in the 2021-22 season where he was brought in on loan from his parent club Madureira. 

From what we know, the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) sanctioned a group of footballers who reportedly became a part of the mafia involved in match-fixing and favouring a betting network.

The court has now sanctioned 13 professional football players based on the above-mentioned crime. Three players have been sentenced to expulsion for life while six of them have been handed a suspension which could go on for a maximum of 1000 days.

Only two of them have been fully discharged so far and they can still file an appeal to the plenary court, and can even play abroad until the court makes a final decision on their situation. And for Ygor Catatau, the court has sentenced him to a permanent ban from the beautiful game. 

Moreover, the court has also charged a monetary fine of $14,000. The Brazilian was accused of being a link between the betting ring and four teammates from the Sampaio Correa club for whom he played last season. The players were bribed to force a spot kick in a second-division league match.

Ygor Catatau’s time in India

The 27-year-old came to India to don the colours of the then-defending champions Mumbai City FC. He was one of Mumbai’s many recruits. He scored his first goal in a 3-0 win against FC Goa in the season opener and announced his arrival.

He showed more consistency and scored thrice in total in the first five matches of the season, but lost his form after that. Catatau parted ways with the Islanders in the winter transfer window as his loan spell was brought to an end.