Ten second- and third-class soccer players arrested for fixing matches

They are footballers from teams from Badajoz, Seville, Almería and Cádiz. They made huge profits from sports betting.

The National Police has arrested ten soccer players from RFEF second and third-tier teams in Badajoz, Seville, Almería and Cádiz, some of them from the Atlético Sanluqueño club, from Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cádiz), for fixing matches and later obtaining large benefits with sports betting.

According to the National Police, the operation that is being carried out this Tuesday in the aforementioned provinces is directed against a criminal organization allegedly dedicated to match-fixing in the RFEF and the Gibraltar National League.

The investigation, which is open and under summary secrecy issued by a court in Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cádiz), has the support of Europol and Interpol.

So far, 10 people have been arrested for alleged crimes of belonging to a criminal organization, corruption between individuals in the sports field and fraud against game operators.

According to the first investigations, the criminal organization had allegedly been operating since May 2021 when they were detected by the General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling for the irregular behavior of the betting market on the occasion of a Third Division match.

The network was divided into several levels and made up of soccer players who took advantage of their condition to organize sports fixes in teams under their influence.

Once the sporting event was predetermined, the organization placed bets on fixed matches, obtaining great profits.

Sources close to the police operation have indicated to Efe that among those arrested there are several players from Atlético Sanluqueño, who in a statement assure that as a club "at no time has it been investigated", that it is "unrelated to all these events" and that it is "in the most absolute ignorance".

If the arrests are confirmed "and always respecting the presumption of innocence, Atlético Sanluqueño will take the appropriate measures it deems necessary on the players or any person involved who is related to the club."

"Atletico Sanluqueño strongly condemns this or any illicit practice that goes against the fundamental values ​​of sport and the club itself," the statement said.