Police investigating an alleged match-fixing ring targeting Spain’s top three soccer leagues on Tuesday "arrested several people, including current and former players and senior club figures." The country’s national police force said on Tuesday that its officers "had carried out nine searches across Spain in connection with match-fixing, money laundering and criminal gangs." Spanish media reported that those arrested included former Real Madrid player Raúl Bravo, LaLiga side Huesca President Agustín Lasaosa and "several other people" connected with Huesca. LaLiga "hailed the police operation as proof that anti-fixing measures introduced five seasons ago were working" (London GUARDIAN, 5/28).
Valladolid's Borja Fernández retired on Tuesday and was arrested after playing his final match. GETTY IMAGES
Another match being investigated is Valencia's 2-0 win at Valladolid on May 18, the final day of the '18-19 LaLiga season. Among the players arrested on Tuesday was Borja Fernández, a Valladolid player who retired after the Valencia match. The police stated Valencia players "were not part of the investigation," while Valladolid put out a club statement rejecting "any type of fraudulent conduct" (London TELEGRAPH, 5/28). Spanish TV station Antena 3's "Espejo Público" reported Valencia and Valladolid "themselves are not thought to have been involved" (MARCA, 5/28). Valencia said in a statement that it "wants to publicly warn that it will take the appropriate legal measures against anyone that spreads any rumor or unfounded report that tries to link our club to this issue [match-fixing]" (SUPERDEPORTE, 5/28).
Meanwhile, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said that it "rejects corruption in sport" and asked for "prudence." RFEF VP Ana Muñoz emphasized the organization's "absolute collaboration with the National Police on their investigation" (EFE, 5/28). Spanish law states that anyone guilty of match-fixing faces between six months and four years in prison and is subject to a fine of up to $6.1M. The RFEF's rules state that anyone found guilty of match-fixing can be banned for two to five years, while clubs proven to have fixed a match can be relegated (MARCA, 5/28).
