Alejandro Mancuso accused of selling fake coaching licenses to football stars

An investigation by UOL has revealed a scheme involving the sale of fraudulent coaching licenses to high-profile South American football stars. Alejandro Mancuso, a former assistant to Diego Maradona, is accused of offering an “urgent process” to obtain four levels of coaching certifications (C, B, A, and PRO) from the Asociación de Técnicos del Fútbol Argentino (ATFA) without the required training or examinations.

The packages reportedly cost approximately 100,000 reais (around 18,000 to 20,000 USD) and were delivered via mail within ten days. Numerous former players have been linked to the scheme, including Thiago Silva, Roberto Carlos, Felipe Melo, Diego Lugano, Luiz Gustavo, Alex de Souza, Dejan Petkovic, and Paolo Guerrero. Some players, such as Alex, admitted to seeking the licenses for “ease,” while others, like Roberto Carlos and Thiago Silva, stated they received the documents but never used them because they did not complete the official courses.

ATFA has issued a statement denying any institutional link to Mancuso, asserting that he is not authorized to represent the association and that the documents provided are false. Mancuso has denied wrongdoing, claiming he merely provided contact information for the federation and was not part of the institution.