Multiple La Liga Players Arrested for Alleged Match Fixing
By Chris Deeley
Multiple top-flight Spanish footballers have been arrested for alleged involvement in match fixing.
Servimedia report that a number of players – including Borja Fernandez, who retired this month, and Samu Saiz of Leeds and Getafe – have been arrested for alleged match-fixing in the Primera and Segunda divisions.
Operación de la @policia. Varias detenciones por amañar partidos #fútbol de Primera y Segunda División. Entre los detenidos el exfutbolista Raúl Braco, Borja Fernández y Agustín Lasaosa https://t.co/PkVzZt0CPD
— Servimedia (@Servimedia) May 28, 2019
The players, including some who have recently retired, are accused of belonging to a criminal organisation, corruption among private individuals and money laundering.
Former Real Madrid and Spain defender Raul Bravo is accused of being the ringleader, with fellow detainees Carlos Aranda and Ińigo Lopez coming through the ranks at the Bernabeu at the same time as him.
Saiz and Lopez are the only two still playing after Fernandez's retirement, the former having also spent a decade at Real Madrid - overlapping with Bravo's time there, despite being a solid decade younger.
Huesca president Agustín Lasaosa has also been swept up in the investigation, after his side were relegated from their first ever season in La Liga earlier this month.
Various First and Second division players arrested over alleged match-fixing https://t.co/i8RFluFu43
— The Spanish Football Podcast (@tsf_podcast) May 28, 2019
Marca report that a match between Huesca and Nastic in the Segunda last season sparked the investigation – with large bets placed on a 0-0/0-1 half time/full time scoreline.
The match did indeed fall that way, Ikechukwu Uche scoring the winning goal in the 72nd minute for the relegation-threatened Catalan side over Huesca; who had already confirmed their promotion to La Liga for the first time in their history.