Kike Salas, a Sevilla football player, is awaiting trial after being arrested last week on suspicions of match rigging.
According to claims, Salas committed betting fraud by purposefully receiving multiple cards during official La Liga matches to benefit other parties.
The action was launched Thursday by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). The Federation will wait for the Justice Court’s final verdict before taking disciplinary action against the player.
If convicted, Salas faces a five-year ban from professional football and a fine of up to €30,000, according to the RFEF. However, a Justice Court conviction might result in a prison sentence ranging from six months to three years, according to SBC Noticias.
Salas was detained last week and suspected of taking part in a match-fixing operation that involved influencing the results of Sevilla’s La Liga games for personal advantage and the benefit of others.
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The inquiry shows that two people gambled on Salas obtaining yellow cards, and the player was booked ten times during the 2023/24 season, seven of which occurred in his final nine games, raising suspicions.
While these two people are being investigated, officials have not discounted the potential of a bigger match-fixing network. Last Monday, La Liga told the Associated Press that it intends to request participation in any judicial proceedings involving the matter.
At the same time, Sevilla released this statement: “The club, following what happened today in relation to our player Kike Salas, would like to place on record our full respect for the judicial process as well as the presumption of innocence of our player.”
“The club would also like to state that we condemn any fraudulent activity in the world of sport and in particular those that may affect the integrity of the competition.”
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