The Belgian Federal Police conducted a series of raids this morning targeting some of the most influential people in Belgian football. Club Brugge coach Ivan Leko is one of the names caught up in the scandal.
As part of the operation ‘Clean Hands’, the Belgian police targeted some of the most influential people in Belgian football this morning suspected of criminal activities. Ivan Leko, coach of Club Brugge who was named the Belgian champion last season, has been taken into questioning as the police look into match-fixing, corruption and money laundering, reports Index.hr on October 10, 2018.
Leko (40) is a former player of Club Brugge who became the head coach in 2016. Leko immediately led Club Brugge to the championship title, and this season remains at the top of the table.
But now, the news surrounding the Croatian coach isn’t as sweet. Federal Prosecutor Wenke Roggen confirmed that Leko has been taken into questioning after Belgian police conducted a series of raids into alleged match-fixing and money laundering. A total of 44 houses and apartments across Belgium have been searched within the investigation. Raids were carried out in the homes of members of football clubs, representatives of players, referees, lawyers, bookmakers, and journalists. Investigations also include houses and flats abroad, in France, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia.
Club Brugge confirmed that from 8am to 11am this Wednesday morning federal police visited the offices at the Jan Breydel stadium and that coach Ivan Leko has been taken into by the police for an investigation.
Leko was brought into questioning along with football referees Bart Vertenten and Sebastien Delferiere, and the agents of players suspected of having committed the aforementioned criminal offenses. Dejan Veljković, who has been close to Leko since he was a player, is among the agents included. Belgium’s best-known agent, Mogi Bayat, has allegedly been arrested.
The Belgian media reported that the investigations include up to ten First League clubs. Apart from Club Brugge, it has been confirmed that the other clubs involved in the scandal are Anderlecht, Standard, Gent, Genk, Kortrijk, Lokeren and Oostende, as well as the second league club Mechelen.
The key figure in the investigation is Mogi Bayat, an Iranian entrepreneur who was the director of the football club Charleroi from 2003 to 2010. Bayat has since become the most powerful agent in Belgium, and is being suspected of money laundering and match-fixing.
