Coach of team that lost 12-0 to Barcelona 'B' side detained in match-fixing probe

Published Apr. 4, 2017 5:58 p.m. ET

Alex Dowd

Police in Spain have detained the coach of Eldense in an investigation into match-fixing. Filippo Vito di Pierro, who oversaw Eldense's ugly 12-0 loss to Barcelona's "B" team on Saturday, was arrested on Monday.

Authorities also took Nobile Capuani, who served as the club's general director, into custody. Capuani represented a group of Italian investors that had recently partnered with Eldense, though the club announced they were severing ties with the Italian investors following the humiliating loss.

An Eldense player came forward and told local media that the fix was in after the loss, which pushed the club into the relegation zone with no chance of escape. Cheikh Saad said four of his teammates were involved in the scheme but refused to name them.

Saad said he learned match-fixers wanted the scored to be 8-0 at halftime and 12-0 at the end, both of which happened. He said he refused to play in the match and stayed on the bench while the match-fixing took place. "In the end, everything will be revealed," he said.

Club president David Aguilar also corroborated the story, saying a player's agent told him the match had been fixed. Barcelona top-flight manager Luis Enrique addressed the matter as something that needs to be taken "very seriously.

"In other countries we have seen similar situations and they are very unfortunate. Too many people are trying to benefit from football," Enrique said.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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