A journalistic investigation published on 9 October 2026 has raised suspicions over the illegal issuance of coaching licences in South America, with Brazilian stars Thiago Silva and Felipe Melo named in the case. The allegations involve Argentine Alejandro Mancuso, Diego Maradona’s former assistant and a former Boca Juniors player, who is suspected of running a fraudulent scheme to issue coaching qualifications outside official channels.
Network offers coaching licences within 10 days
The investigation, conducted by Brazilian media outlet UOL, found that a network was offering a fast-track route to coaching qualifications in just 10 days, in exchange for about 100,000 Brazilian reals, or approximately 20,000 US dollars.
According to the investigation, the route bypasses the mandatory official rules and procedures for obtaining certificates, while prominent figures are alleged to have used it to secure their qualifications. In leaked audio recordings, Mancuso justified the arrangement by saying that football stars who had spent their lives on the pitch did not need to enrol in three-year online courses.
Argentine coaches’ association denies Mancuso’s official status
He denied direct involvement in selling the documents, saying that his role was limited to advising people seeking licences and providing them with the federation’s contact details. The Argentine Football Coaches Association distanced itself from the alleged violations. Its secretary-general, Salvador Pasini, said in a statement that Mancuso held no official or contractual position authorising him to represent the organisation.
Pasini stressed that the association accepted no responsibility for any money collected or documents issued in its name as part of the procedures under investigation. A certificate dated December 2023 and bearing the signature of a former director who had left his post in 2020 also emerged in the case, raising further questions about how the documents were issued.
The investigations could lead to the withdrawal of licences and coaching badges from the coaches concerned, potentially creating administrative obstacles to their plans to move into coaching after retirement. Expectations surrounding the case suggest that investigations could be expanded between Brazil and Argentina to uncover the alleged forgery network’s wider reach.
The case has also revived questions about the players named in connection with the alleged violations and how the licences they obtained through the suspected routes were issued.
