Francisco Aday Benitez played for Girona in 2014-2021, in 2017 he was promoted to La Liga. He played with the club for two years at this level. Even before playing at the highest level in Spain, he had direct contact with corruption. He was to get 50,000 euros if he persuaded his teammates to let an opponent win the match. His story, reported by “Mundo Deportivo”, shocked the La Liga authorities, who reported the matter to the police.
Corruption in Spanish football
In 2017, Girona secured promotion to La Liga before the end of the season. The case of corruption described by Benitez concerns the last round of the competition. Girona then played away to Cordoba, which was sure of a place in the middle of the second division table.
Benitez was supposed to get a bribe in exchange for convincing part of the team that they should lose the match. He did not accept this offer.
They offered me 50,000. euros, me and other people, for letting us win. It would be absurd to agree to such a proposal. We got promoted to La Liga, we have one game left. I wasn’t going to stain the whole season for one game,” said the former footballer, quoted by “Mundo Deportivo”. He did not say whether it was someone from Cordoba or people from outside the rival club.
He had the right position in the team, the dressing room trusted him. – The method is very simple. They contact a player who acts as a liaison with other players they trust. They just have to convince the goalkeeper, the central defender and the striker. Then you’re half done,” Benitez admitted.
Cordoba beat Girona 2-1 at the end of the season and ended the Spanish second division in tenth place. Girona has long had a secure second place. In this match, all goals were scored in the second half. Quite quickly, the team from Catalonia took the lead, only to lose it after a few minutes. The hosts scored the winning goal a quarter of an hour before the end.
The case outraged the La Liga authorities, who reported the possibility of a crime to the Spanish police. The National Police Center for Integrity in Sport and Gambling (CENPIDA) will handle the investigation.
“La Liga upholds the integrity and safety of the competition. Our goal is to detect and report any behavior that violates the generally accepted rules of fair play. Fixing the results of matches is a crime,” said the competition authorities. At the same time, they point out that every fan can file a complaint or provide information that may be useful in the investigation.
