Manchester United star facing trial over involvement in match fixing

Ander Herrera [Photo: Courtesy]

Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has been mentioned again in the investigation on the claims that he was involved in match fixing in a La Liga game between Real Zaragoza and Levante in 2011.

Real Zaragoza were threatened with relegation but their 2-1 win against Levante kept them in Spanish top league sending Deportivo La Coruna down to relegation instead. Due to this fact, Investigators in Spain have spent three years looking into the match.

There are claims that Levante players were payed some cash to give away the match to Zaragoza. Ander Herrera was a Zaragoza player at that time and prosecutors in Spain believes that some in the squad alongside Herrera could have also been a party to the deal.

The 28-year-old Spanish international is among the 33 players alongside Athletico Madrid captain Gabi, linked to the case which investigators at Valencia’s Provincial Courts wants to bring to trial this summer.

Though he is denying the allegations, he has been warned he faces been summoned in court to explain why he is said to have received two large payments from his club, which he is then said to have returned immediately in cash to his bosses.

Ex Real Zaragoza manager Javier Aguirre [Photo: Courtesy]

Javier Aguirre, Zaragoza’s coach by then, is also facing trials along with club’s sporting director Antonio Prieto, who are both denying the allegations.

The case was reopened after an appeal by Deportivo La Coruna, Professional football league and state prosecutors.

Search were done on the accounts of the Levante stars are said to have shown that the players made scarce use of bank accounts and credit cards in the week afterwards.

It was suspected that the Zaragoza players returned the cash deposited in their accounts to club managers, so it could be passed on to Levante players. There are claims anti-corruption prosecutor Alejandro Luzon had named Herrera as the recipient of two cash sums of £44,000 and £35,000.

Isabel Rodriguez said the existence of the bank transfers was “indisputable” when she archived the case last year, but insisted she felt the evidence put forward by prosecutors at the time was not enough to consider the match had been fixed.

She said the only certainty was that Zaragoza players and the then-manager and sporting director had received money whose purpose was unknown.

The same judge, who heads up Valencia Court of Instruction Number Eight, has now reportedly finalized her probe and concluded proceedings should continue in a higher court where the trial will take place.

Ander Herrera says he is innocent and will happily attend court if called.