New match-fixing scandal looming

A report out of Spain Wednesday indicates that a Spanish player is being investigated for match-fixing.

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One name was thrown out there in the Twittersphere earlier today, but that’s shaky ground. There has been no official confirmation at all about who it is, and it’s a player’s reputation that’s at stake.

But according to this story from London’s Telegraph, a well-known Spanish lawyer is on board. And Javier Thebes says his client is a victim, not a perpetrator. The original story in Spanish is here.

“My firm is defending a player who has been the victim of the Russia betting Mafia,” Thebes, who is president of the Spanish Football League, said Wednesday.

No doubt there will be more on this story, although it might take awhile. The Tennis Integrity Unit is reportedly involved and, in similar fashion to the ITF’s procedure on doping cases, they take a long time to make things public. Also, there’s probably a lot to investigate, given the lawyer’s accusation.

(Featured photo from the Jack Petchey Foundation website)