Criminal Group ‘Took Over’ Club as 19 Arrested in Israeli Soccer Betting Probe
Posted on: January 26, 2026, 08:06h.
Last updated on: January 26, 2026, 10:06h.
- Police arrest 19 players and officials over alleged match-fixing scheme
- Investigators allege illegal betting, bribery, and money laundering
- Club chairman expresses shock; lawyers say suspects deny wrongdoing
Israeli authorities arrested 19 people linked to a professional soccer club on Monday amid allegations of match fixing, illegal gambling, bribery, and money laundering. The suspects include current players and senior club officials, according to police.
Police haven’t formally named the club, but local media outlets have identified it as F.C. Kiryat Yam, which is based in northern Israel near Haifa and plays in the Leumit League, the country’s second tier.
‘Criminal Organization’
Investigators suspect that a criminal organization used the club as a vehicle to launder money made through unlawful gambling activity. Maj. Gen. Hussein Safadi, who’s leading the investigation, told Israeli sports website ONE.co.il that the numbers involved were “tens of millions of shekels,” indicating multiple millions of US dollars.
“This is a criminal organization that took over a football team, not only financially and administratively, but also used it as a platform for committing criminal offenses, profiting from results and illegal gambling,” Safadi said.
Authorities allege the group was involved in manipulating match outcomes over an extended period, with games allegedly fixed to benefit illegal betting operations. The suspects were arrested in coordinated dawn raids after a months-long undercover investigation conducted in coordination with the Israel Football Association (IFA).
During the investigation, criminal suspicions emerged indicating that an organized crime group was involved in the club’s managerial and financial operations, including through match manipulation by means of financial bribes, as well as illegal gambling,” police said.
The scheme allegedly involved illegal gambling operations in Israel and overseas, with wagers placed on matches whose results had been predetermined, investigators added.
According to police, the alleged activity spanned roughly three years and involved both domestic and international betting markets. Officials said the investigation remains at an early stage and that further arrests haven’t been ruled out as financial and communications records continue to be examined.
Denial of Wrongdoing
Israel’s Football Association confirmed it is cooperating with law enforcement, adding that it has been alerted to suspected irregular betting patterns connected to matches involving the club.
“I am shocked and don’t understand what they want from us. I don’t know who was arrested and don’t understand anything right now. I’m simply in shock,” Chairman Nissim Tzarfati told Ynet, adding that the club operates “1,000% legally.”
Lawyers for some of the suspects said their clients deny wrongdoing and don’t understand why they were arrested. They also hinted at a conspiracy, claiming “certain entities” were trying to prevent the club’s promotion to the Premier League, tier one of Israeli soccer.
Kiryat Yam is currently in third place in the Leumit League, two points behind second-place Maccabi Herzliya. Only the top two teams achieve promotion at the end of the season.
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