Juan Mendoza plays striker for Deportivo Paraguayo. He’s now accusing two former coaches of leaving because they were involved in sports betting schemes.
The coaches he named are Claudio Contreras and Carlos Loto. Both left the club recently.
Mendoza didn’t stop there. He also pointed at Colombian forward Luis Arcilio Velásquez Benítez, who still plays for the team. The allegations come as the fourth-tier Argentine club tries to qualify for Copa Argentina through a reduced play-off format.
Why these betting claims matter for Argentine football
Mendoza says the coaches used younger players to run betting schemes. They’d send some down to the reserves specifically for what he called “dirty work.”
The problem wasn’t just at senior level. Youth players trying to break into the first team got pulled into it too.
Three months of unpaid wages made things worse. Players were broke, which Mendoza suggests made them easier targets. When someone offers cash and you haven’t been paid in months, the pressure is real.
What Mendoza alleges happened inside the club
The striker claims Velásquez Benítez offered him and teammates money to “go backwards” in matches. That’s code for deliberately playing poorly or losing.
Mendoza said this wasn’t a one-off thing. “Thousands of times they played with the dreams of the kids in the lower divisions who sacrifice everything to make their debut,” he told reporters.
He described how younger players got manipulated. Kids at grassroots level were being used in betting schemes before they’d even made their professional debuts.
Deportivo Paraguayo struggled badly this season in Argentina’s fourth tier. The club’s now fighting for a Copa Argentina spot through play-offs.
How these allegations affect youth development
The accusations raise serious concerns about betting infiltrating grassroots football. When coaches use reserve and youth players for betting schemes, it threatens the entire development pipeline.
Players at lower levels already face massive pressure just to get noticed. Add financial manipulation on top, and you’ve got a system that exploits vulnerable young players.
Mendoza’s testimony suggests betting-related corruption isn’t just a top-flight problem. It’s spreading down through the football pyramid, hitting clubs where oversight is weaker and players are more desperate.
The unpaid wages create perfect conditions for this. Cash-strapped players in lower divisions make easy targets for anyone offering quick money, even if it means throwing matches.
