Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
A MAN has been arrested in Madrid for defrauding young South American footballers of up to €3,000 each with bogus promises of placing them in top La Liga sides.
He was arrested by the Policia Nacional on charges of fraud, document falsification, and illegal immigration.
The scammer told the players that if they obtained the right documents, they could travel to Spain and play for a prestigious soccer club in the country.
READ MORE
Men only had access to lower categories of football in Spain.
They were left without any money after they failed to get the necessary licenses from football federations.
After receiving two complaints, the Policia Nacional opened an investigation.
The victims stated that they wanted to be professional soccer players. They heard of a person offering them the chance to move to Spain, and placements at top clubs.
After initially approaching the man, he contacted his targets directly and assured them that he has contacts at La Liga clubs that can get them signed up, as well as that he can provide them with papers that allow them to stay legally in Spain.
He marketed the scam as an opportunity for footballers to advance their careers and make a lot more money.
To make their dreams come true, he demanded payments of up to €3,000 to cover the costs of travel, accommodation and maintenance for three months in Spain, as well as getting signed to the clubs.
The arrested man even provided the victims with documents called ‘invitation commitments’, allegedly issued by different clubs which showed that players could be playing for the senior team within three months.
The fake papers stated that all expenses would be covered by the clubs during this time.
After the fake agent had the victims in his grip, he gave them plane tickets for Spain.
He gave tips on how to act and behave at border checks, saying that they should state that they are travelling to Spain to play football. They also had to present fake documents that proved that they were indeed footballers.
The man who picked up the players from Madrid Airport made them sign fictitious representation contracts that would give him 10% of their future earnings if they were to get a professional contract.
They were then taken to clubs in lower leagues who provided them with temporary accommodation and food.
After the trials, and because they were not licensed by a football association, the victims had to be kicked out.
The scammer took them to hostels and then left them on their own.
In order to meet the demands of their agent, some targets were forced to borrow money from their home country.
In the investigation conducted by Policia Nacional, they identified at least six victims. They also discovered that other victims had been recruited in Europe including Italy through similar false promises.
Click here to read more Crime & Law News from The Olive Press.
