Two referees and the coach of Club Brugge were among 19 people charged by prosecutors in Belgium investigating match-fixing and allegations of corruption.
On Thursday, I reported in a News Shorts section that Belgian prosecutors had carried out raids and arrests across the country linked to investigations into fraud and match-fixing and now more details have been released.
44 clubs and homes across Belgium were raided on Wednesday with a further 13 searches taking place in France, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Montenegro, Serbia, and Macedonia with Belgium’s ‘big three’ (Anderlecht, Brugge, and Standard Lige) clubs targeted.
The charge sheet runs from criminal organisation to money laundering and corruption.
Club Brugge coach Ivan Leko, charged with money laundering, was released.
“I will fight back,” he said. “I didn’t deserve this.”