17 suspects linked to Israeli soccer team arrested in match-fixing probe

Police suspect organized crime group used FC Kiryat Yam to launder money in illegal gambling operation that took bets on games with pre-determined outcomes; players among suspects

The Israel Police said Monday that 17 people affiliated with a soccer team in Israel’s second-tier league were arrested in a match-fixing and money laundering probe.

Those arrested include current players and senior administrators in the team, who are suspected of involvement in match-fixing over the past three years, police said.

The team was FC Kiryat Yam, which is based in a town near Haifa and plays in the National League, Israel’s second division.

Those arrested are also suspected of ties to a criminal organization that is believed to have used the club as a “platform for criminal activities” to launder millions of shekels from illicit gambling, police said.

Illegal gambling operations were allegedly conducted in Israel and abroad with bets on the outcomes of games that were fixed in advance. The operation involved tens of millions of shekels, police said, and some players were signed on multiple contracts.

Officers arrested the suspects in their home in morning raids.

Attorneys representing some of the suspects said in a statement that their clients deny everything and “do not understand at all why they were arrested.” They said that “certain entities are trying to prevent the club’s promotion to the Premier League,” the top tier of Israeli soccer.

Screen capture from video of police arresting a suspect in an alleged soccer match-fixing case, January 26, 2026. (Israel Police)

Team chairman Nissim Alfasi told the Ynet outlet that the club operates “1,000 percent legally.”

“I am shocked and don’t understand what they want from us,” he said.

The arrests came following a months-long undercover operation, conducted in cooperation with the Israel Football Association, which was opened amid suspicions over how the club was being managed. As the probe progressed, suspicions were raised that organized crime was involved in the financial and administrative activities of the club, police said.

Investigators will consider extending the remand of suspects depending on how the investigation proceeds, the statement said.

Last season, FC Kiryat Yam was promoted to the National League when the League A North was dissolved due to a major match-fixing scandal.

An investigation into that affair was called after Fadi Mahamid, director of the Umm al-Fahm youth team, admitted to having fixed 13 games in the League A North during the 2023-2024 season. He gave a full confession, providing items to support his testimony as well as information about others involved in rigging games.