Spain's national police arrested Sevilla defender Kike Salas on Tuesday according to Spanish media, with the player alleged to be involved in an illegal betting scandal which benefitted people close to him.
A court in Moron de la Frontera in the province of Seville opened an investigation into the player and two other young men who were part of his circle, reported newspaper El Confidencial, with Salas said to have deliberately earned yellow cards in matches last season to spot fix.
🚨🇪🇸 | 𝐊𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐬 (𝟐𝟐) was 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 today for his involvement in sports betting
— Rising Stars XI (@RisingStarXI) January 14, 2025
Kike is suspected of deliberately taking yellow cards and profiting from it.
What a shame ... pic.twitter.com/GTo0asx6kZ
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 LaLiga games.
A source with the Spanish top flight told AFP LaLiga will "request participation as a plaintiff in the legal proceedings".
In May 2024 Premier League club West Ham's midfielder Lucas Paqueta was hit with four FA charges relating to yellow cards the Brazilian is alleged to have sought deliberately, with the case not yet resolved.