Spain: 17 Arrested for Football Match-Fixing, Including Players and Team President
Technology used for detecting potential sports match-fixing has brought to light a significant issue of game manipulation globally. The latest scenario emerged in Spain, where authorities dismantled a large match-fixing gang involving players and even a team president.
Spain's National Police apprehended 11 individuals in Melilla and six in Granada, alleged members of a criminal group committed to fixing soccer matches. This operation was carried out in partnership with Europol, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), and LaLiga.
The primary focus of the investigation was Huracán de Melilla, a club in the RFEF's Third Division, a lower tier of Spain's soccer system. Over a dozen people related to the team face allegations, including corruption among sports individuals, fraud, money laundering, and document forgery. They may also be charged for being part of a criminal organization since they collaborated with criminals.
The Journey
The probe started in February when Spain's gaming regulator, the General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling, informed the National Police about suspicious bets on specific outcomes of soccer matches played by Huracán de Melilla.
SIGMA, created specifically for this purpose, played a key role, the National Police said in a statement. It provides sports entities, law enforcement agencies, gaming operators, and others access to industry data assisting in identifying potential match-fixing.
Simultaneously, LaLiga received an anonymous tip through its whistleblower channel about potentially suspicious activities by Huracán de Melilla. The tipster also hinted at irregularities in the collection of aid and subsidies by the club, which was then used for sports betting.
Europol played a crucial role in managing the operation by deploying a mobile office in Melilla to extract information from electronic devices and phones. This data will become a part of a broader anti-corruption database.
Once the information was analyzed, the police identified a sophisticated criminal network, with the team president himself, Felipe Heredia, managing the match-fixing ring.
Hiding is Difficult
The players employed third parties close to them to place the bets, theoretically avoiding being linked to the bets and matches they played. However, as the tech indicates, hiding has become more challenging.
The police operations have shown the club also received fraudulent subsidies, allegedly by manipulating declarations to the RFEF to receive more funds.
The exact amount of money stolen through these crimes is still unknown. Investigations into seven soccer matches are ongoing, indicating more arrests likely.
The team previously faced accusations of match-fixing in 2021 after losing 8-0 in the Copa del Rey tournament. Heredia then stated that anyone within the club found involved would be immediately dismissed. He asserted that corruption should have no place in the team.
Read also:
- Games Industry Research: Carbon Emissions of Top Video Games
- U.S. cities with the most Swifties per capita
- Blackjack Casino Advantage: How to Beat the Odds
- Football 101: What is relegation in football?
Source: www.casino.org
