Lawyer seeks gag order for footballer held in match-fixing probe

A footballer suspected of match-fixing and systematic, compulsive gambling was brought on Sunday to a court hearing on extending his detention, after being arrested at Ben Gurion Airport. From the outset, the hearing turned into a dispute over whether his name should be barred from publication.

His attorney, Batel Shiriki, asked the court to impose a gag order, arguing, “I do not want his name to be ruined.” She said the investigation is still in its early stages, that he is a young man with no criminal record, and that he may ultimately have nothing to do with the case. “It will hurt him badly,” she said. “This is about his career. If his name comes out, he is finished.”

Police opposed the request, saying, “We oppose a publication ban, the public has a right to know.” The police representative said a new unit was created to combat gambling and bribery offenses in sports, and that the suspect’s name emerged in another investigation. He said investigators had carried out covert activity over the past few months, brought the case before the court at the covert stage, and arrested the suspect early Sunday morning when the matter moved into the overt stage.

Police said the suspect and his partner were detained together, both gave statements, and the partner was not questioned under caution but gave an open testimony. Shiriki continued to press for restraint on publication, saying the player is facing prison for the first time and has an interest in the investigation reaching the truth, but noted that people are already talking about the case. The hearing took place in a sports-related case involving Israel’s top division.