17:14 17/06/2015
Madrid - A Spanish judge investigating what happened to more than
2 million euros ($2.25 million) missing from Osasuna's accounts has
said there is evidence the cash was used to fix games towards the end of
the 2013-14 La Liga season.
In a statement published on
Wednesday, the judge said the investigation suggested that of at least
2.4 million euros withdrawn from the club's accounts, 250,000 euros was
paid to Espanyol players to draw 1-1 with Osasuna on the penultimate
matchday.
A
further 650,000 euros had been given to Real Betis players, he added,
400,000 to beat Real Valladolid on the penultimate matchday and 250,000
to lose to Osasuna on the final day of the campaign.
"The judge
continues to investigate other matches, the results of which were
allegedly altered by Osasuna, as well as the destination of the rest of
the money taken out of the club's accounts in cash," the statement said.
Pamplona-based
Osasuna, Valladolid and Seville-based Betis were all relegated to the
second division, with Osasuna narrowly avoiding the drop to the third
tier last season.
Betis won promotion back to the top flight and Valladolid finished fifth.
The
matches are the latest to come under suspicion in recent months in a
league in which it has long been suspected that games are manipulated by
teams trying to avoid relegation.
In December, then-Japan coach
Javier Aguirre, Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera, Atletico
Madrid captain Gabi and 38 others were named in an alleged case of
match-fixing involving a game in the 2010-11 season. All deny
wrongdoing.
Mexican Aguirre, who was in charge at Espanyol in
2013-14 and had an earlier stint at Osasuna, was fired by the Japan
Football Association in February amid fears the scandal could affect the
team's bid to qualify for the World Cup.
The judge investigating
Osasuna also said he had opened a related probe into former president
Pachi Izco and his board over what happened to some 3 million euros
taken out in cash from the club's accounts between 2003 and 2007.
($1 = 0.8868 euros) ($1 = 0.8870 euros)
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