Spanish police arrest 83 in tennis match-fixing probe, including 28 professional players

Spanish police have arrested 83 people, including 28 professional tennis players, suspected of gaining millions of euros by fixing professional matches, Europol revealed on Thursday.

"An organised crime group involved in manipulating professional tennis competitions was dismantled in an operation led by the Spanish Civil Guard and coordinated by the National High Court of Spain," Europol said in a statement.
"In total 83 suspects were arrested, 28 of them are professional players," it added.

The Civil Guard confirmed to Euronews that of those 83 people, so far 15 people had been detained while the other 68 remain under investigation.

It added one of those arrested was Spanish tennis player Marc Fornell-Mestres, 36, who was suspended from professional tennis last month by the Tennis Integrity Unit, the sport's anti-corruption body.

Spanish authorities raided 11 houses, seizing €167,000 in cash, a shotgun as well as five luxury vehicles and froze 42 bank accounts and their balances, according to the statement.

The identities of the other players have not been revealed but Europol added that one of them had taken part in the last US Open.

The suspects, part of "a criminal group of Armenian individuals," are believed to have bribed professional players to ensure pre-determined results.