January 15 – Spanish police briefly detained Sevilla defender Kike Salas on Tuesday with the player alleged to be involved in an illegal betting scandal.
A local court has opened an investigation into Salas and two other young men who were part of his circle, according to newspaper El Confidencial, with Salas alleged to have deliberately earned yellow cards in matches last season to favour bets placed by relatives.
There are around 30 bets under suspicion with Salas receiving 10 yellow cards in the 2023-24 season, seven of those coming in the last nine La Liga games.
A source within the Spanish top flight told AFP La Liga will “request participation as a plaintiff in the legal proceedings”.
Sevilla issued a statement in which they defend the presumption of innocence after Salas was released
“Sevilla, after the events that occurred on Tuesday in relation to our player Kike Salas, want to show their total respect for the judicial proceedings, and want to emphasise their respect for the principle of the presumption of innocence of our player,” the club said in a statement.
The club said it also condemned “any fraudulent conduct in the world of sport and in particular those that may affect the integrity of the competition”.
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