Police Uncover Match Fixing Within Spanish Football Federation

A joint investigation involving the National Police, La Liga and Europol, has uncovered a criminal organisation specialising in match-fixing.

A report from Policia Nacional on Thursday, July 27 revealed how they investigated a criminal organisation dedicated to match-fixing within the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

Together with La Liga and Europol, officers of the National Police have arrested a total of 17 people. In Melilla, 11 suspects were detained and six in Granada.

Players And Officials Arrested

Among those arrested were officials and players of a 3rd division RFEF football team, for allegedly committing the crimes of belonging to a criminal organisation, corruption between private individuals in the field of sport, fraud, money laundering and false documentation.

The investigation began last February when the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling, informed officers of several alerts received from different online gambling platforms. Multiple bets had been placed from Melilla on specific results of football matches played by a team from the city.

Simultaneously, Laliga reported an anonymous communication received through its whistleblower channel, in which they reported suspicious practices of the same football team related to match-fixing, in conjunction with irregularities in the collection of grants and subsidies whose money was used for sports betting.

Investigators soon uncovered a complex criminal network, showing that the president of the team himself, managed the rigging himself, by involving players he trusted. In turn, the players also used third parties to place the bets and thus avoid being linked to the bets placed and the matches played.

The investigation focused on the matches played in the final stages of the competition – once the team under investigation had been relegated – at which time the bookmakers were alerted to the receipt of a large number of bets on specific results, with the majority of the bets coming from the city of Melilla.

Police investigations carried out have also shown that the same sports club has been the beneficiary of subsidies which were used fraudulently to increase the amounts to be collected.

Europol Involvement

Evidence from the Global Investigation Service of the Gambling Market (SIGMA) has been decisive in clarifying the facts. Europol has also actively participated in the operation, through a mobile office deployed in the city of Melilla, which included extracting information from electronic devices and telephone terminals.

Finally, the operation has led to the arrest of 17 people in the autonomous city of Melilla and Granada all linked to the sports club under investigation and also other teams with which it clashed.

Seven football matches are still being investigated and further arrests have not been ruled out, and the total amount swindled from the bookmakers cannot yet be quantified.

Other documents obtained in the searches of the Royal Football Federation of Melilla and other commercial is still being analysed. It is believed that they could have issued invoices for work not carried out with the aim of defrauding the Royal Spanish Football Federation.