Eleven people including athletes and sports club presidents were arrested in Spain last week and charged with match-fixing. The allegations, which followed a sting called “Operación Oikos,” involve the country’s top two divisions of club football, first-tier La Liga and second-tier Segunda.
According to the Associated Press, National Police said they conducted raids at different locations across the country—Huesca, Malaga, Valladolid, Madrid and A Coruna—and picked up several executives and soccer players, active and retired. The full slate of charges also include money laundering and involvement in a criminal organization.
La Liga confirmed the early reports and saluted law enforcement for the “dismantling of an organized group that has been conducting a criminal activity dedicated to obtaining economic benefits through the predetermination of football matches in the national territory,” according to CDC Gaming Reports.
“This police operation shows that the integrity protection systems implemented by La Liga for five seasons, to protect the integrity of all Spanish football competitions, have been effective in detecting and reporting allegedly manipulated football matches; all of which has been able to serve as base and support for the development of the investigations carried out by the National Police,” La Liga said in a statement.
The Washington Post identified some of the arrestees, including former Real Madrid defender Raul Bravo, called the “ringleader” of the scheme, along with SD Huesca President Agustin Lasaosa.
Others caught up in the sting include current and former players Borja Fernandez, who played the last two seasons for Valladolid before recently retiring; Carlos Aranda, who retired in 2015; Samuel Saiz, who was loaned to Getafe last season from England’s Leeds United; and Inigo Lopez Montana, who played for two second-division Spanish teams in the most recent season.
In a statement, La Liga said it filed a complaint with Spanish authorities about possible match-fixing in a May 2018 game and identified eight instances of possible match-fixing last season “in lower divisions of Spanish football and low-profile friendlies played between foreign clubs in Spain.”
La Liga cited specific concerns about several games played by Real Valladolid, according to Agence France-Presse, a club that is majority-owned by former Brazilian football star Ronaldo. Among the contests was a 2-0 loss to Valencia on May 18, the final day of the season, a game Valencia needed to win to ensure a spot in the Champions League.
“Bets on the game were more plentiful than usual,” Spanish newspaper Marca reported.
La Liga President Javier Tebas told Marca the investigation has been ongoing for more than a year.
“It really hurts, because it affects a club I love, but the most important thing is to end corruption in football,” said Tebas.
According to ESPN, Spanish police said, “Aside from the people detained, the judge is investigating 15 others with connections to football, sports betting and club SD Huesca.” Police searched six homes, two bookmakers and the headquarters of SD Huesca with the judge “authorizing the uploading of all the IT devices found.”
At a news conference following news of the arrests, Ana Munoz, vice president of the Spanish FA’s integrity department, said, “It’s an unpleasant case. We are all together when it comes to fighting corruption, wherever it may be.
“We have the support of everyone that is fighting for the same cause. That is for Spanish sports—and in particular football—to be the best on and off the pitch. We are fully cooperating with Spanish police.”
