May 5 – European and Portuguese police claim to have put a stop to a mainly Russian criminal gang laundering money through football in Portugal.
Europol said the gang purchased clubs and then used them as a front for a network of holding companies. It said four clubs were searched along with houses and offices, resulting in three “key” arrests. As reported earlier, third division club Uniao de Leiria was at the heart of the investigation, with owner Alexander Tolstikov detained.
Uniao de Leiria was at one point managed by Jose Mourinho, but fell out of the top flight in 2012 and dropped to the third division before going bankrupt and being bought by Tolstikov last year.
Europol said the searches and arrests were carried out on Wednesday as part of Operation Matrioskas (Russian dolls), which had been going on for more than a year. Links were found with serious and organised crimes carried out in the UK, Germany, Moldova, Austria, Latvia and Estonia, it said.
Three other clubs were searched including the country’s two most famous names, Benfica and Sporting, but only because transfer negotiations had been conducted with Leiria.
Reuters reported the gang behind the alleged scandal was “thought to be a cell of an important Russian mafia group”. According to Europol, the group identified clubs in financial distress and infiltrated them with benefactors who gained trust through short-term donations or investments.
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