2017–2019 Belgian football fraud scandal
[4][5][6] Following the Ye affair in 2005, the Belgian Federal Police launched the Sports Fraud Cell, a department of the Central Office for the Repression of Corruption (OCRC).
Jointly managed by the Federal Public Prosecutor and the OCRC, the main task of the department is to gather and corroborate intelligence concerning sports fraud, corruption and match-fixing.
[2] On November 12, after the high-profile arrests were made, the court of appeal of Antwerp removed examining magistrate Joris Raskin from the investigation.
Rieder argued that Raskin could not be impartial and independent because he was part of the Licensing Commission of the Royal Belgian Football Association until March 2018, months after the investigation started.
[8] Indeed, 4 days after the Court ordered the recusal, Vertenten was released on conditions and he resumed his main job as radiologist at the University Hospital UZ Brussel.
A law allowing these formal agreements was instated only months before the arrests, in August 2018, meaning Veljkovic is the first official spijtoptant in Belgian history.
[15][16][17] In January 2021, the investigation based on the statements of Veljkovic was completed which resulted in a request by the Federal prosecutor's office to bring 57 of the 73 suspects to court for various charges ranging from money laundering, financial fraud and fictive arrangements over influencing decisions of the disputes committee to outright match fixing.
The investigation points towards Uros Jankovic, business partner of Veljkovic, as a leading person in setting up a system of hidden fees and payments towards players, managers, sports agents and club board members.
Amongst the final list of suspects are some well known names, including referees Bart Vertenten and Sébastien Delferière, agent Mogi Bayat, managers Peter Maes, Ivan Leko, Glen De Boeck and Yannick Ferrera.
During these searches, coordinated by Eurojust, documents and assets on bank accounts and in safes worth a total amount of 3.6 million euros were seized.
More than 15 Cypriot police officers, and two Belgian investigators were involved in the searches of four properties in Nicosia and Famagusta, where four computers, two laptops, two iPads, and documents were seized.
Eupen v. Royal Excel Mouscron (4-0), both on the final matchday of the 2017–18 Belgian First Division A. KV Mechelen and Waasland-Beveren, as well as 13 persons were summoned before the Disputes Appeals Commission.
[30] While the hearings were ongoing, KV Mechelen asked the Business Court in Brussels to suspend the proceeding until the criminal investigation completed; this request was denied.
[31] After a month of hearings, the verdict was announced on 1 June 2019 which ruled that Mechelen was guilty of match-fixing and forced to relegate to the Belgian First Division B and start the coming season with a 12-point penalty.
[33] The final verdict is as follows: In Belgian criminal law, a civil party (nl) is a person or entity claiming to be injured by a crime, to be awarded damages following the proceedings.
Since 1978, professional sports players are taxed at a reduced RSZ (Social security) rate, designed to promote the type of employment at the time.
[39] On October 17, 2018, the Pro League announced it will set up a commission consisting of three independent experts, tasked with proposing reforms to the board of directors.
[1] On November 6, almost a month after the news of the raids broke, Marc Coucke and Pierre François, chairman and CEO of the Pro League respectively, testified before the Chamber of Representatives.
Politicians from all major Flemish parties announced intentions to revise these reductions, however Coucke mitigated this, saying the Belgian professional football industry could not afford the loss of this favorable rate and would need a different kind of subsidy.
