The acquittal ruling known on Monday ends (for the time being, as it is possible to appeal to the Provincial Court, the Superior Court of Justice and even the Supreme Court ) to the first major trial against the adjustment of football matches in Spain. Without participation, in addition, the murky world of betting. Here, as they defended the Liga de Fútbol Profesional y el Deportivo , a team (Zaragoza) had bought another (Levante) to guarantee their permanence in the First Division. A case that lasts more than eight years.

THE PARTY (MAY 2011)

Last day of the League. Zaragoza must win to remain in the First Division and Levante does not play anything. The hands win 1-2, with two goals from their captain, Gabi , who later was from Atlético de Madrid. Stuani, on the last leg, scored for Levante. The team was sure to continue in First, and who went down to Second Division was Deportivo , still in the hands of Augusto César Lendoiro .

THE STRANGE COMPLAINT OF TEBAS (MARCH 2013)

Despite the persistent rumors about that and many other parties, the formal complaint did not come until almost two years later. It was in March 2013 when Javier Tebas , then vice president of the Professional Football League (would be president two months later) denounced Levante-Zaragoza before the National Police. It was a strange complaint. He said he knew about the adjustment by the testimony of a former Zaragoza player who was a client of his law firm. He never gave his name or more proof than the alleged testimony of the alleged footballer. The Police transferred the complaint to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor .

THE FIRST PARADE (OCTOBER 2014)

All those investigated (36 soccer players, former coach Javier Aguirre, four executives and Zaragoza as a legal entity) testified before the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor. Following these testimonies, the Prosecutor's Office charged them with a crime of sports fraud contained in article 286 bis.4 of the Criminal Code . The complaint is presented in the Courts of Valencia, where the game was played.

THE SECOND PARADE (MARCH 2015)

Admitted to processing the complaint in January, the judge of Instruction, Isabel Rodríguez, begins to take a statement to all those involved in a process that lasts more than two years. During the proceedings, witnesses presented by Tebas and Lendoiro ( Quico Catalán, president of Levante, and Fernando Roig Nogueroles, CEO of Villarreal ), do not support the story of the adjustment. For example, Roig does not confirm that it was Javi Venta who allegedly 'confessed' the size. Finance technicians, in turn, show the huge differences in the expenses of Levante players between the summer of 2010 and 2011. For example, Munúa , Levante goalkeeper, spent 270,000 euros in 2010 and only 300 in 2011 . Juanfran , also from Levante, went from 649,000 in 2010 to just 6,000 in 2011 .

TEMPORARY CARPETAZO

Judge Isabel Rodríguez decrees the overcoming of the cause by understanding that there was insufficient evidence that the money that Zaragoza took from their accounts (1.7 million) would end up in the pocket of the Levante players. The accumulation of evidence - the prosecutor's plot line and the private accusations - did not succeed.

RE-OPENING (JANUARY 2018)

The Provincial Court of Valencia attends the resources of the Prosecutor, the League and Deportivo de la Coruña and orders to review the case and open oral proceedings. After another series of proceedings, now in the hands of Court number 7 , the start of the trial occurs on September 3 of this year.

THE JUDGMENT (SEPTEMBER 2019)

From that September 3 to October 18 the trial takes place. The defendants are only present the first day, and the photo, with soccer players like Gabi, Ander Herrera or the coach, Javier Aguirre , goes down in history. This Monday, December 9, the sentence is known, which absolves all players.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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