Global Sports Integrity Report: Arrests, Investigations, and Scandals

The Cheat Sheet is a weekly newsletter, published every Monday by the Sports and Crime Briefing.

SPAIN

Arrest of Sevilla’s Kike Salas in Spain

Sevilla defender Kike Salas, a 22-year-old professional footballer, has been arrested for his involvement in a match-fixing scheme centered around deliberately receiving yellow cards in specific matches. In this scheme, Salas would get booked in the first half of games. It is understood that two friends of Salas placed bets on these outcomes and won approximately €10,000. The low value of the winnings raises questions about motivations, given Salas’ six-figure salary. This underscores how spot fixing schemes may be becoming the norm.

ITALY

Udinese Goalkeeper Maduka Okoye Under Investigation

Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye is currently under investigation for allegedly deliberately receiving a yellow card during one match, with a similar situation reported last week involving Kike Salas. A local pizzeria owner, known to Okoye, was arrested for betting on this specific outcome, with two further suspects also arrested during the investigation. Okoye has denied all involvement.

SPAIN

Former Spanish FA President Accused of Fraud

Ángel María Villar, former president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), is facing a likely trial for charges of fraud relating to his time in office. Investigations claim that Villar awarded contracts to companies that were controlled or partly owned by his son, Gorka, to illegally benefit his family through those public funds. The total value of those implicated contracts remains unclear at time of this report. María Villar has been in legal trouble before, having been arrested in 2017 on allegations of corruption and was fined by FIFA’s ethics committee in 2015.

ECUADOR

In Ecuador, Match-Fixing is Done at Gunpoint

A video has surfaced showing players from Chacaritas FC, an Ecuadorian football club, being threatened with a gun and forced to lie on the ground. The video was filmed in early 2024 to intimidate and pressure Chacaritas players into losing matches. The threat appears to have been effective. Chacaritas went from being unbeaten in their first five matches of the season in April 2024, to losing nearly every game afterwards - winning just 17 points in their remaining 31 matches, ending last in the league, after an initial good run of results.

Chacaritas’ president said he had also received threats to lose matches and had made an official report to the authorities.

Match-fixing is not new in Ecuador but the country’s descent into lawlessness, becoming the most violent country in the Americas in 2024, may have emboldened them. This sets a worrying precedent for how players may be increasingly and brutally forced to obey the commands of criminal networks.

Kike Salas during happier times. Source: Imago

Super-Agent Speaks Out on Plague of Fake Agents Trafficking Thousands of Players from Africa

Erkut Sogut, agent to Mesut Özil and a prominent trainer of new agents, spoke out about the spiraling crisis of fake agents in Africa. His own on-the-ground research across West Africa has shown how easy it is for agents to find targets, how entire academies and communities unknowingly go along with the scam, and how any social media campaigns to educate young athletes are likely doomed to fail.

BRAZIL

Player Returns to Pitch in Brazil After 600-Day Match-Fixing Ban

Brazilian right-back Mateusinho may soon return to the pitch for his club, Cuiabá, after serving a 614-day sentence for match-fixing. In 2023, he was sentenced to a heavy 720 days without playing football and a fine, although this was slightly reduced on appeal. Mateusinho was one of five players found guilty of match-fixing when playing for Sampaio Correa. Mateusinho stated at his hearing that he had been forced into accepting to manipulate matches because the club had been months late on its salary payments.

CAMEROON

Union Douala Players Under Investigation for Match-Fixing

Cameroonian top-flight club Union Douala is conducting an internal investigation following allegations that some of its players were involved in match-fixing. Reports suggest that the players collaborated with an unnamed European sports betting company to manipulate match results in exchange for significant financial rewards. The scandal has drawn the attention of local authorities and the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), who are now involved in the investigation. Union Douala, a five-time Cameroonian champion, has struggled this season, sitting in 12th place in the Elite One league with only seven points.

CHILE

Chilean Football Official Sounds Alarm on Encroaching Match-Fixing

Gamadiel Garcia, the president of Chile’s professional footballers’ union (SIFUP), has publicly raised alarms about an increase in match-fixing attempts in Chilean football. Numerous reports from his membership have demonstrated a “more persistent pattern” of players being approached to fix results, both directly and through social media.

Chile has struggled with match-fixing allegations. In July 2024, a glut of 764 yellow cards in just 119 football matches led to a broad investigation by authorities.

NEPAL

Nepal Intelligence Bureau Investigates U-20 Football Match-Fixing

Nepal's Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) is investigating potential match-fixing within the Nepal T-20 League. The country’s deputy prime minister ordered the investigation, following persistent signs of match-fixing since the Nepal U-20 season began in December. Players and officials have raised the alarm on the alleged fixed.

The country has struggled to leave behind a long legacy of match-fixing, especially in football.

RUSSIA

Suspended Player Reveals Inner Workings of Match-Fixing in Russia

In December 2024, Nikita Milyukov was one of five players for FC Pari Nizhny Novgorod, a Russian Premier League club, to receive bans for match-fixing. Milyukov took the worst punishment, with a lifetime ban on football activity. In an interview, he discusses how he received a year’s pay to throw one match, what he was asked to do, and why one of his co-conspirators turned them all in.

SERBIA

UEFA Investigating Alleged Match-Fixing in Serbian SuperLiga

UEFA is investigating a suspected case of match-fixing in the 20th round of the Serbian SuperLiga between Mladost Lučani and Novi Pazar. The match, which ended in a 3-1 victory for Novi Pazar, raised suspicions due to unusual betting patterns before the game. Despite missing key players, including captain Adem Ljajić, Novi Pazar was unexpectedly favored by bookmakers. The outcome matched these betting trends, triggering a red flag for potential manipulation.

Bernard Tomic Faced Investigation After Two Suspicious Defeats

With the Australian Open under way, it was revealed that prominent Australian player, Bernard Tomic, had previously been investigated by police for allegedly losing two of his matches on purpose. Matches which Tomic list in Turkey in 2021 and Australia in 2022 saw suspicious betting patterns from a group of gamblers based in New South Wales. Another investigation by the International Tennis Integrity Agency saw Tomic being interviewed and his phone analysed, but no further charges were filed.

Mafia Figure on the Run Claims He is Not Seeking to Avoid Justice

One of the men at the center of Taiwan’s worst-ever baseball scandal, Lin Bingwen, has posted on social media after going on the run in December. In a Facebook post, Lin denied that he had fled to escape judicial charges, instead blaming personal factors. Lin is sought on charges of fraud and money laundering. In 2008, Lin had intimidated and coerced baseball players and coaches to manipulate matches, allowing him to make a fortune through online gambling platforms. Thirteen players were prosecuted and Lin spent two years in prison.

Lifetime Bans for Top Xiangqi Grandmasters in Chinese Chess Scandal

Chinese chess (Xiangqi) has been rocked by a major cheating scandal involving match-fixing, bribery, and corruption. Three top grandmasters—Zhao Xinxin, Wang Yang, and Zheng Weitong—have been handed lifetime bans and stripped of their titles by the Chinese Xiangqi Association (CXA). In total, 41 players have been penalized, with others receiving suspensions or reprimands.

The scandal, dubbed "Recording Gate", began in 2023 when leaked audio revealed players discussing match-fixing. Investigations uncovered over a decade of misconduct, including Wang Tianyi, a four-time national champion often compared to Magnus Carlsen, who allegedly accepted bribes of 800,000 yuan ($110,000).

Experts attribute the cheating to financial pressure, as grandmaster titles significantly increase earnings through appearance fees and bonuses. The controversy has raised serious concerns about the integrity of Xiangqi, a game deeply rooted in Chinese culture.

Three Wide Balls in a Row Draw Scrutiny in Bangladesh Premier League

A Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) game has come under scrutiny following a series of suspicious wide balls which have raised serious concerns about possible match-fixing. Alauddin Babu, a bowler for Dhaka Capital, bowled three consecutive wide balls during a match against Rangpur Riders. Statistics compiled by cricket journalist, Jarrod Kimber, showed that the probability of this happening was astronomical. The BPL has faced regular claims of match-fixing.

PGL Bans Five North American Dota 2 Players for Match-Fixing

PGL, a prominent esports tournament organizer, has banned five North American Dota 2 players for their involvement in match-fixing. The players—Cloud (KK), Muhammad “high_shaggy” Ghaznavi, Sonic, ValOdbka, and Dmytro (Logan)—were found to have manipulated match outcomes in lower-tier competitions within the region. The banned players are regulars in the North American Dota 2 circuit, with some having prior links to semi-professional teams. In its recent 2024 report, Sportradar found 32 suspected cases of match-fixing in esports.

HONG KONG

Hong Kong Football Chief Open to Legalising Gambling, Commits to Tackling Match-Fixing

Eric Fok Kai-shan, chairman of the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA), has expressed openness to the legalisation of football gambling in Hong Kong, citing its potential to generate revenue and attract investment for the sport. However, Fok acknowledged the topic remains in the “discussion phase” and is a sensitive issue that requires careful consideration of its impact on the community. For the moment, any gambling on matches in Hong Kong is prohibited.

PACIFIC ISLANDS

UN Report Reveals Growing Presence of Organized Crime in Pacific Islands Casino Projects

A recent United Nations report reveals a troubling increase in organized crime activity linked to casino projects in the Pacific Islands. The report shows that criminal syndicates are using casinos as a front for money laundering, human trafficking, and other illicit activities.

With the rise of casino developments in the Pacific, driven by tourism and foreign investments, weak regulatory frameworks in some nations have made these projects attractive to transnational criminal groups.

PHILIPPINES

How Online Gambling Unleashed Transnational Crime on the Philippines

A raid on an online casino compound in Bamban, Philippines, has exposed the dark unde