Spanish police arrest another 23 people over alleged match-fixing, including in Gibraltar league

Spain’s Policia Nacional arrested 23 people in connection with an investigation into alleged match fixing involving football leagues in Spain, Gibraltar and Andorra.

Around 30 matches in different leagues are being investigated and Spanish police believe the organisation could have obtained over 500,000 euros through the scam.

The arrests were carried out in Badajoz, Cadiz, Ciudad Real, Cordoba, Tenerife and Ceuta, and follow the earlier arrest of 21 people during the first phase of an investigation conducted with the assistance of Interpol and Europol.

Investigators allege that some of those arrested sold their gambling accounts to allow members of the organisation to place online bets on matches that were fixed, raking in winnings of between 4,000 and 24,000 euros per account.

Among those arrested are players allegedly involved in match fixing and others suspected of opening online betting and banking accounts to facilitate the flow of money.

“This system of accounts and transfers made it difficult to trace the money and link it to those under investigation,” the Policia Nacional said in a statement.

According to investigators, the organisation worked in four stages.

The first stage involved obtaining internal information from different teams, allowing an advantage to those involved who had detailed knowledge of aspects of the match that were not known publicly.

In the second phase, the leader of the organisation allegedly used encrypted forms of communication to fix matches for financial gain.

The third phase involved the placing of bets both online and in bookies, sometimes using different identities and often involving small amounts of money to avoid scrutiny from tax officials when bets were won.

The final phase involved the distribution of money obtained through the bets to those involved in the betting ring.

The investigation remains open.