adminVALENCIA. — Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera, Japan coach Javier Aguirre and Atletico Madrid captain Gabi and 38 others have been named in an alleged case of match-fixing involving a La Liga match in the 2010-11 season. Spain’s anti-corruption prosecutor filed its case in a Valencia court yesterday following a probe into Real Zaragoza’s 2-1 win at Levante on the final day of the campaign, which meant Zaragoza avoided relegation.
Mexican Aguirre was coach of Zaragoza at the time, while Spaniards Herrera and Gabi were both playing for the club.
Former Zaragoza president Agapito Iglesias and the club itself were also named as defendants, along with the rest of the players from both teams.
A Real Zaragoza official said it had no comment to add to a September 25 statement that said it was “completely unaware” of events being investigated by the public prosecutor. The match occurred under a different board of directors, the official added.
In its court filing published yesterday, the prosecutor alleged that the Levante players were paid a total of £766 000 in cash to deliberately lose the game.
Zaragoza first made bank transfers to its players and officials, including Aguirre, Herrera and Gabi, and they then took the money out of their accounts in cash and passed it on to the Levante players, the prosecutor said. The judge overseeing the case will now rule on whether to proceed with prosecution. — Telegraph.
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