Police in Spain have arrested Sevilla defender Kike Salas, suspecting he intentionally received yellow cards in LaLiga games to help people known to him win money through bets.

A court in Morón de la Frontera, Salas’s hometown, questioned him regarding alleged fraud, as reported by Spanish newspaper El Confidencial. The 22-year-old was later released. LaLiga has also joined the case as a plaintiff.

Salas, who has played twice for Spain’s under-21 team, allegedly conspired with two friends to purposely pick up yellow cards in official LaLiga matches, enabling them to place bets with insider knowledge. An investigation into his alleged misconduct is focusing on several matches from the end of the last season, during which Sevilla had nothing significant to play for.

Kike Salas' suspicious yellow card statistics

During the 2023/24 season, Salas received 10 yellow cards, seven of which came in the final nine matches, making him the most booked player in LaLiga during that period. The case is reminiscent of Brazilian internationals Lucas Paquetá (West Ham) and Luiz Henrique (then of Real Betis), who were also accused of deliberately receiving yellow cards during the 2022/23 season.

Salas renewed his contract with Sevilla in December, extending it until 2029. Recently, Italian club Lazio have shown interest in him, although the Spaniards confirmed on Tuesday that no official offer had been made.