The "Apito Dourado" Affair and Other Controversies
Pinto da Costa was one of the people investigated by the police as part of the Apito Dourado (Golden Whistle) sports corruption scandal in Portuguese football. He was formally accused of corruption on 12 June 2007, along with Reinaldo Teles, another member of FC Porto's administration.
In December 2006, Pinto da Costa's former mistress and a former escort, Carolina Salgado, published the book Eu, Carolina (I, Carolina) where she made serious allegations against Pinto da Costa (including match fixing, bribing referees with prostitutes, and ordering the beating of Gondomar councilman Ricardo Bexiga). He denied all the accusations, claiming she tried to use the book to blackmail him.
Following the inquiry, Pinto da Costa vowed to appeal the two-year ban placed on him in order to clear both his and the club's names. In a short interview, he stated: "We will not appeal the points deductions and we will still have a 14 or 15-point lead. But FC Porto's honor will be salvaged because I, personally, as president and a citizen, will appeal on Monday to the Justice Council. After this appeal, we will wait to see the truth come out and it will allow us to show there is no reason for FC Porto to have been penalised."
In early April 2009, Pinto da Costa was cleared of any allegations relating to bribery or any case dealing with Apito Dourado.
Read more about this topic: Jorge Nuno Pinto Da Costa
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