Volleyball coach is investigated on suspicion of embezzling allowances paid by the city hall The volleyball coach investigated on suspicion of embezzlement and appropriation of public funds in Limeira (SP) demanded that athletes pass on to him the allowances they received from the city hall as a condition for accepting them in a sports project. The practice was confirmed by the Public Ministry (MP), which opened a civil investigation to investigate the scheme. The complaints indicate that Fábio Eduardo Cassiano demanded up to R$350 of the R$500 that the athletes received monthly as stipends. The amounts were deposited via Pix into the technician's personal account. ? Click here to follow the g1 Piracicaba channel on WhatsApp According to Débora Simonetti, prosecutor, Cassiano claimed that the money would be used to help the project, but, in fact, he even used the payments as a requirement for athletes to participate. "Despite this justification, he also used the question of whether the person was going to play or not play on the team, whether the athlete could be a captain or not, whether he would stay on the bench or play as a starter. Even this was passed on to the Public Prosecutor's Office. Apparently, whoever didn't pay didn't even get involved in the issue of the project. This was very clear in our hearings." Speaking to EPTV, an affiliate of TV Globo, the coach stated that some of the students' parents agreed to help the project with amounts for expenses not initially included and denied that the transfers were linked to the students' participation (see below). Given the suspicions, the MP recommended that the municipality of Limeira suspend the contract with the Instituto Crescer Juntos, of which the technician is part, and financial transfers to the entity. The recommendation was accepted by the city hall. According to the investigation, the president of the institute, Fúlvia Lúcia Margotti, was aware of the conduct practiced by the professor and, therefore, is also being investigated. The president denied the deviations and mentioned that she has all invoices and receipts intended for carrying out the project. Volleyball athletes receive monthly stipends from Limeira City Hall and carry out activities in public spaces in the city Reproduction/EPTV 'Great investment', says coach The coach was removed, in a precautionary and preventive manner, from coordination and training activities, as soon as the complaint reached the Public Prosecutor's Office, on June 17, 2026. This Tuesday (14), in an interview with EPTV, Cassiano mentioned that some of the parents expressed interest in making donations to the project. As an alternative, he says he suggested transferring part of the athletes' subsistence allowance to pay for expenses that had not been initially foreseen. According to the technician, the total amounts do not exceed R$1,800. "I said: 'instead of you [parents] making the donation, I have the cost assistance'. So they kept a portion, some wanted to donate everything, I said: 'no, you don't need it'. It was R$1,700 or R$1,800 from five parents." Cassiano also denied that the transfers were linked to the students' participation in the project and classified the amounts as a "huge investment". "I think it's unfair for the community. Our project is a tremendous investment, it is not an expense, it is an investment. It is the biggest project in the city. [...] Less than R$ 100 per child is a huge investment, don't mess with it." Volleyball coach Fábio Eduardo Cassiano is suspected of demanding transfers of financial assistance from athletes to accept them into a project, in Limeira Reproduction/EPTV Cost assistance The institute was selected by the city hall in March this year, through a public call process. Since then, sports training has taken place in spaces in the city. The resources allocated to the athletes' financial assistance are foreseen according to the notice, which provided for the payment of up to R$500 per athlete per month. The prosecutor reported that around 500 students were supported by the initiative. The Public Prosecutor's Office also forwarded the complaint to the Civil Police, requesting the opening of a police investigation. Reproduction/EPTV What does Instituto Crescer Juntos say? In a note sent this Tuesday, Instituto Crescer Juntos reported that, until the publication of this report, it had only had partial access to the investigation, but claimed that there was no diversion of public funds. We assure you that there was no misappropriation of public funds nor their misuse", the institution detailed. "We are in possession of all invoices and receipts intended exclusively for carrying out the project, which have already been presented in the accounting process", it added. "Our lawyers have requested access to the investigation in its entirety and, as soon as we have it, we will speak out. On this occasion, we would like the same response space to be open to us", he concluded. What does Limeira City Hall say? In a note sent to g1, Limeira City Hall informed that it had opened an administrative inquiry to investigate the situation immediately after being informed about the case and said that it had ordered the suspension of the contract with the institute. "Although it has not yet been officially notified about the prosecution's procedure, the municipal administration has already ordered the suspension of the contract with the institute responsible for the sports project and the blocking of transfers "The municipality remains available to collaborate with the Public Prosecutor's Office in clarifying the case and highlights that any diversion of resources, if confirmed, will be dealt with rigorously", added the administration. Watch the full report below: Public Prosecutor's Office investigates diversion of funds in a volleyball project with students in Limeira VIDEOS: everything about Piracicaba and the region See more news about the region in g1 Piracicaba