Former ATK captain Borja Fernandez arrested for match fixing allegations

The 38-year-old midfielder won the ISL with the Kolkata-based side in the first season.

As per several reports from Spain, several high-profile players, administrators and officials from the first and second divisions of Spanish football have been arrested over charges of match fixing. Amongst these individuals are Huesca president, Agustin Lasaosa and former ATK captain, Borja Fernandez.

Servimedia reported that a number of current players have been arrested, citing sources amongst the security services that have named the accused.

The match fixing ring was said to be under the leadership of Raul Bravo, with Borja Fernandez of Real Valladolid, Carlos Aranda, Samu Saiz of Getafe and Inigo Lopez of Deportivo. Fernandez played for Kolkata club, ATK from 2014-2016 for three seasons.

The Spaniard made 47 appearances for ATK during his time in India and lifted the inaugural ISL trophy. Fernandez made 38 appearances for Real Madrid and has played for several Spanish sides, including a previous stint at Real Valladolid before he joined ATK.

Another member of the accuse, Raul Bravo, made an impressive 132 appearances for Real Madrid, making him one of the more high profile individuals to be caught up in the scandal.

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Huesca president, Lasaosa and the head of the medical staff at the club, Juan Carlos Galindo are also amongst the list of detainees. The police have informed local news agencies that procedures are underway to uncover a sports betting ring, with links to organized crime, corruption and money laundering.

The investigations were triggered during last season’s game between Gimnastic and Huesca, which the latter won by a goal to nil. Suspicions were aroused due to unusual betting patterns over the course of the game.

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Bookmarkers suspended betting at 0-0 after noticing that a large number of bets were being placed on Gimnastic despite being overwhelming underdogs in the game, as they were 29 points behind Huesca at the time. The bets came in from parts of the world such as Ukraine and parts of Asia, hours before the game, further raising suspicions.

Huesca had nothing to play for in that game but their opponents needed the points to avoid relegation. There are a number of other matches being looked into as part of the investigation. However, it is certain that these are not La Liga or Segunda division games.