Spanish police have arrested 17 people in connection with match-fixing activities related to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Among those arrested were the executives and players of the third division RFEF team.
The Spanish national police made the arrests as part of a joint operation with the EU’s law enforcement agency Europol and the sports association LaLiga.
Operations were carried out in Melilla and Granada. In total, 11 people were arrested in Melilla and six in Granada.
The investigation first began in February, when the Spanish Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ) notified the police of a series of match-fixing warnings they had received.
DGOJ’s suspicions were based on Melilla’s multiple bets on the outcome of a series of special football matches played by a Melilla-based team.
Meanwhile, LaLiga also came forward about the suspicions raised by the whistleblowing process. These reports focused on the Melilla team in question, particularly on previously suspected match-fixing activities and misuse of aid and subsidies.
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After further investigation, Spanish police uncovered a criminal network that was found to facilitate match-fixing activities of the Melilla team leader. It was also alleged that he included actors in the scandal.
Police also allege that players use third parties to avoid being linked to bets and matches played.
It was also found that the Melilla club received fraudulently used grants. The amounts he took had increased over time.
A total of seven football matches are currently being investigated. The possibility of further arrests has been eliminated. Currently, the police cannot estimate the total amount defrauded from the operators.
In May, he said he would become Spain’s national police Investigating potential betting fraud detected by DGOJ. But whether this is the same investigation has not been confirmed.