Spanish police make arrests in match fixing probe linked to Spain and Gib league games

Spain’s Policia Nacional on Tuesday arrested 10 people as part of an investigation into alleged match fixing involving matches in Spain’s La Liga and Gibraltar’s national league.
In a statement, the Policia Nacional said the arrests were made in the provinces of Badajoz, Seville, Almeria and Cádiz and involved the support of Europol and Interpol.
The 10 were arrested on suspicion of membership of a criminal organisation, corruption in sport and fraud targeting gaming operators.
“The criminal organisation allegedly operated since at least May 2021, when the [Spanish gaming regulator] the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego detected irregular betting patterns in a third division match,” the Policia Nacional statement said.
“There were different layers and involved football players who used their position to fix sporting events in teams where they had influence.”
Spanish police alleged the group placed bets on fixed matches to obtain significant benefits.
No other details were released at this stage by the Policia Nacional, which said the matter remained under investigation and was sub judice.
Responding to reports the Gibraltar FA commented, “The Gibraltar FA's Integrity Unit is aware of the social media post and press articles in Spain in relation to a Spanish Policía Nacional operation into match fixing in Spain's Segunda and Tercera Divisions. The articles and social media posts mention the Gibraltar National League but provide no further details on why it is mentioned. The Gibraltar FA Integrity Unit has been in contact with the Royal Gibraltar Police who is equally unaware of this. The Gibraltar FA's Integrity Unit will continue to attempt to gain more information from its counterparts in Spain in relation to this matter, and will of course assist where necessary. The Gibraltar FA takes this opportunity to emphasise that it monitors irregular betting closely, using UEFA’s Betting Fraud Detection System and other resources and will continue to do so in the new season.”