Spain’s Professional Football League (LFP) will reportedly launch an investigation into last season’s La Liga match between Espanyol and Osasuna on May 11.
The Pamplona club were relegated to La Segunda at the end of 2013-14, but not before they played out a 1-1 draw at the Power8 Stadium in the penultimate round of the campaign.
Both sides are alleged to have shaken hands on a draw before the match, while Osasuna are being currently investigated for unaccredited payments of €2.5m made from their accounts
However, AS claims that a movement of bets to the tune of around €250,000 could involve players from both teams, while the LFP feels it has sufficient evidence to begin a probe.
The Spanish anti-corruption prosecutor has already opened an investigation into former Osasuna President Miguel Archanco, while the country’s Sports Council (CSD) requested a supplementary audit of the club’s finances last November.
The newspaper adds that the out of the €2.5m allegedly paid out, €900,000 went to two estate agents by the names of Cristina Valencia and Alberto Nolla, €1.4m to unknown Portuguese company Flefield and €77,000 to an agent identified by the last name Lopez.
The LFP is now determining whether such irregularities are linked in any way to the Espanyol-Osasuna match and may take the case to either the public prosecutor or the police.
The 2011 match between Levante and Zaragoza is currently being pursued by the courts under Article 286 of the Penal Code relating to sporting fraud.
Punishment ranges from six months to four years in prison, while UEFA could ban Espanyol – still capable of qualifying in the Europa League via La Liga and the Copa del Rey – from participating in continental competition next season.
