The latest arrests are linked to suspicions that a second division club paid players of a rival in June 2017 to ensure that they reached the promotion play-offs.

“To make the payment different individuals and legal entities directly and indirectly related to the club, advanced various amounts in cash,” police said in a statement.

The nine arrested are suspected of corruption, money laundering and abuse of corporate assets.

The investigation was carried out with Europol. The authorities have not released the names of the suspected individual and clubs.   

Contacted by AFP, a police spokesman said they could give no further information.

The operation follows the arrest in May of 10 people, including current and former players, as part of a probe into a match-fixing gang that allegedly operated in Spain's first and second divisions.

The police said their investigation, named “Oikos”, has led them to identify “at least three” matches in the first, second and a lower division that they believe were fixed.

The headquarters of Huesca, promoted for the first time in 2018, were searched in May.

At the time, Huesca, who only lasted one season in the top flight, released a statement denying any wrongdoing.

Police said Tuesday's arrests were related to “several handwritten sheets” seized in May which revealed an operation for the “collection, distribution, payment and delivery of money to rig the result of a second division match.”

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