The Spanish soccer player Kike Salas is being investigated for allegedly committing a crime of fraud

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Sevilla F.C. player arrested for forging cards for illegal bets

Spanish soccer is once again being shaken by justice after learning of a new possible criminal act, this time involving Sevilla F.C. player Kike Salas, who has been arrested by the Spanish National Police for forcing yellow cards for illegal betting.

Specifically, the facts for which the sportsman has been arrested date back to the end of last season, when Salas allegedly forced several yellow cards during the matches played between the 31st and 38th league matchdays, so that people close to his circle would win illegal sports bets.

Kike Salas finished the 2023/2024 season with a total of 10 yellow cards. Of those 10 cards, 7 of them were received in the last 9 matchdays (the same matchdays in which investigators believe he forced the cards to rig sports bets). In addition, most of those cards received by the player took place in the last moments of the matches.

The footballer has decided not to testify before the judge

For these facts, the soccer player was arrested on January 14 at the Ciudad Deportiva del Sevilla F.C., where police officers went and, once the training of the sports team was over, proceeded to his arrest. Salas was taken to the police station of his hometown to make a statement for the facts for which he was arrested. However, Salas invoked his right not to testify.

At the moment the soccer player is at liberty, however, he is being investigated by a Court of Morón de la Frontera (Seville) for the alleged commission of a crime of fraud. The National Police has cloned Salas' cell phone to check his communications with friends and people around him who could have benefited from this alleged case of rigged bets. In addition, the National Police has also arrested two of Salas' friends, and several people from his entourage are being investigated.

The investigators of the case believe that the soccer player and his family and friends would have rigged approximately 30 bets in different establishments in Seville, achieving profits of 10,000 euros in one month.

An uncertain future for Salas

Following the news of the arrest of Kike Salas, LaLiga has requested its participation as a private prosecutor in this case; while Sevilla F.C. published the following statement on its social media profiles and on its website: “Sevilla FC, after the events that took place this Tuesday in relation to our player Kike Salas, wants to show its total respect for the judicial proceedings. Likewise, it wishes to emphasize its respect for the principle of presumption of innocence of our footballer”.

“Naturally, Sevilla FC condemns any fraudulent conduct in the world of sport and in particular those that may affect the integrity of the competition,” the club's statement concluded.

It should be recalled that Kike Salas renewed his contract with the sports club last December until June 2029.