Brazil's politicians believe an end is in sight in the European passport scandal which threatens the credentials of many players from South America as well as the credibility of the world's most illustrious soccer nation.

The passport scandal became a heated issue when players were found with counterfeit European Union passports, which were used to help earn lucrative moves to European clubs -- up to 1,000 people, eager to get around restrictions on non-EU players, could be implicated. "Lamentably, the use of false documents in the transfer of Brazilian players is not the exception, but the rule," said Aldo Rebelo, president of a commission of inquiry into the scandal. Corinthians striker Edu was the first player whose case was shoved into the limelight. His $9 million (6.2 million pounds) transfer to premier league club Arsenal fell through last year after he was turned back at London's Heathrow airport for carrying a false Portuguese passport. Since then, other Brazilians have been caught in the act and at least two of them -- Warley and Jorginho Paulista -- were sent home. However, the most prominent case involved St Etienne striker Alex, who has been suspended in France for holding a forged Portuguese passport. As a result, St Etienne lost six league points for the incident. On Tuesday, Alex, who was charged in France, was interrogated by the commission in Brazil and cried to politicians that his club was at fault. The player said he originally entered France with a Brazilian passport. However, at the end of last season, Alex said he was told by his club to obtain a false EU passport, which he said was supplied by ex-World Cup defender Edinho. Edinho is almost certain to be questioned by the commission's investigators. Leagues in Europe have different rules governing the eligibility of non-EU players. Some countries demand work permits, other limit the number of non-EU players each club is allowed to employ or play at one time. The issue has underlined that Brazilians will do almost anything to play abroad and escape generally low wages and the exhausting fixture list of their homeland. More than 600 Brazilian players moved abroad in 1999 to more than 60 nations. Destinations included Russia, China, Senegal, Indonesia, Finland and Iceland. While players such as Barcelona's Rivaldo, Real Madrid's Roberto Carlos and Inter Milan's Ronaldo are household names worldwide, lesser players have found success lower down the soccer pecking order.