What they gonna with all these teams?
Send them to lowest division?
Not sure at this point. The match fixing seems to be centered on 2 specific clubs so far. Waasland-Beveren is in the top division and currently #13 in the ranking, KV Mechelen was relegated to the second division last season. Both clubs have had at least 1 top executive indicted. It seems likely that those clubs will face punishment along the lines of getting kicked to the lowest division but it's not clear what will happen to all the top clubs that are alleged by police to have worked with the player agents at the center of the probe to set up various corporate constructions for illegal financial purposes. Clubs have denied involvement in such practices so far.
I think there's still plenty more to come from this investigation. 3 of our Ministers have suggested reviewing clubs' financial benefits and lowered social security contributions if the government isn't satisfied with actions being taken by the clubs and Belgian FA in response to the scandal.
Here's an updated list on the indictments at the time of posting: (19 individuals indicted so far)
9 indicted individuals have been placed under arrest
- Mogi Bayat (player agent): Indicted for money laundering and belonging to a criminal organization
- Laurent Denis (Bayat's lawyer): Indicted for money laundering and belonging to a criminal organization
- Dejan Veljkovic (player agent): Indicted for bribery, money laundering and belonging to a criminal organization
- Veljkovic's wife: Indicted for money laundering and belonging to a criminal organization
- Karim Mejjati (player agent): Indicted for money laundering
- Bart Vertenten (top referee): Indicted for bribery and belonging to a criminal organization
- Olivier Somers (KV Mechelen main shareholder): Indicted for bribery, money laundering and belonging to a criminal organization
- Thierry Steemans (KV Mechelen financial director): Indicted for bribery, money laundering and belonging to a criminal organization
- Dragan Siljanoski (Ex-agent for Club Brugge manager Ivan Leko): Indicted for money laundering
5 indicted individuals have been released under conditions
- Stefaan Vanroy (KV Mechelen sporting director): Indicted for bribery, money laundering and belonging to a criminal organization
- Sébastien Delferière (top referee): Indicted for bribery, money laundering and belonging to a criminal organization
- Dirk Huyck, (Waasland-Beveren club chairman): Indicted for bribery and belonging to a criminal organization
- Walter Mortelmans (player agent): Indicted for bribery and belonging to a criminal organization
- Olivier Swolfs (Waasland-Beveren chief financial director): Indicted for bribery and belonging to a criminal organization
5 indicted individuals have been released without conditions
- Frank Dekeyser (journalist): Indicted for bribery and belonging to a criminal organization
- David Van den Broeck (journalist): Indicted for bribery and belonging to a criminal organization
- Stijn Joris (journalist): Indicted for bribery and belonging to a criminal organization
- Olivier Myny (Ex player of Waasland-Beveren, now plays for OHL): Indicted for bribery and belonging to a criminal organization
- Ivan Leko (Current Club Brugge manager, will continue in his role): Indicted for money laundering
Unrelated edit: L'Equipe is reporting that French authorities have opened a match fixing probe into PSG's match against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League.
According to them, the EUFA received a report a few days prior to the match suggesting that a senior Red Star Belgrade executive conspired with accomplices to bet millions of euros on his own team losing by 5 goals. The match ended 6-1 to PSG.
https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Act...autour-de-psg-etoile-rouge-de-belgrade/948926
