Joint investigation finds match-fixing in Spanish football
A joint investigation led by Spain’s top football league, La Liga, the Spanish National Police and Europol, the EU’s agency for law enforcement, has allegedly found illegal match-fixing within the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Seventeen people have been arrested in connection to the crime, 11 in Melilla, an autonomous city of Spain situation in North Africa, and six in Granada, with both players and managers from a third division RFEF club accused of fraud, money laundering and falsifying documents.
The joint investigation began in February when the General Director for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) received alerts from several betting operators of suspicious bets being placed from Melilla on specific results of games involving one of the local teams.
At the same time, La Liga received an anonymous tip off via its whistleblowing channel that the same football team was suspected of match-fixing.
Upon further investigation, evidence of a criminal network was uncovered, with the team president believed to be orchestrating the match-fixing with players he trusted to carry out the alleged corruption.
It was also found that the club had been fraudulently benefiting from increased subsidies, which has been confirmed by the Global Gambling Market Research Service (SIGMA) that has been assisting with the investigation.
The investigation remains open with seven matches currently under scrutiny.
The total amount of money defrauded from bookmakers is yet to be established.