Transcripts of conversations have alleged that seven Villarreal players were offered €1.8m to lose their final game of the 2018/19 campaign to Getafe, whose striker Jorge Molina was aware of the payment.
It is the latest development into the match-fixing investigation of Operation Oikos, with Cadena Cope highlighting the conversations held by Carlos Aranda and Paco Esteban.
A report in Cadena Cope outlined how Molina strenuously denied the allegations and that the experienced player was ‘very upset and outraged’.
The game ended 2-2 – ending Getafe’s hopes of a top four finish and subsequent Champions League qualification – allowing Valencia to take the final spot.
There were three fixtures initially under investigation – Valencia’s late season wins against Huesca and Real Valladolid, while Huesca’s defeat at Real Betis was also being looked into due to irregular betting activities.
In May 2019, 11 people were arrested for alleged match fixing in Spain including the president of Huesca, as cited by El Pais.
Another game which has been confirmed as being under investigation was Gimnastic’s late 1-0 win at Huesca in La Liga 123 late in the 2017/18 campaign, when Huesca had already sealed promotion.
The other names include former Spain and Real Madrid player Raul Bravo and Borja Fernandez, who retired from football and ironically his final game was for Valladolid against Valencia.
Carlos Aranda, a Real Madrid youth product who played for several top flight clubs and Íñigo López Montaña, a player of Deportivo de La Coruña and formerly of Huesca were also among the detainees.
Agustín Lasaosa, president of the Huesca and Juan Carlos Galindo Lanuza, head of the medical services of the same club, were also brought in for questioning.
The police operation originally focused on three games spread across the top three divisions.
