Alleged extortion scandal hits Ventspils

VENTSPILS, Latvia — For the second time in less than a year, Latvian football is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Last week, Sergejs Barkovskis, director of Latvia’s most successful domestic club Ventspils was arrested along with one other man in relation to claims of extortion. Unofficial reports allege that the acts of extortion were aimed at [private_supervisor]players within the club.

The latest troubles in Latvian football, follow the banishment of Daugavpils club Dinaburg from Latvia’s premier league last October. The banishment came on the back of a UEFA report, putting forward evidence of match-fixing in games involving Dinaburg.

The fact that the two clubs are situated in cities with large ethnic Russian populations leads to images of mafia involvement. This theory is further supported by the dominant ethnic Russian controlling interests within the clubs. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]players within the club.

The latest troubles in Latvian football, follow the banishment of Daugavpils club Dinaburg from Latvia’s premier league last October. The banishment came on the back of a UEFA report, putting forward evidence of match-fixing in games involving Dinaburg.

The fact that the two clubs are situated in cities with large ethnic Russian populations leads to images of mafia involvement. This theory is further supported by the dominant ethnic Russian controlling interests within the clubs. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]players within the club.

The latest troubles in Latvian football, follow the banishment of Daugavpils club Dinaburg from Latvia’s premier league last October. The banishment came on the back of a UEFA report, putting forward evidence of match-fixing in games involving Dinaburg.

The fact that the two clubs are situated in cities with large ethnic Russian populations leads to images of mafia involvement. This theory is further supported by the dominant ethnic Russian controlling interests within the clubs. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]players within the club.

The latest troubles in Latvian football, follow the banishment of Daugavpils club Dinaburg from Latvia’s premier league last October. The banishment came on the back of a UEFA report, putting forward evidence of match-fixing in games involving Dinaburg.

The fact that the two clubs are situated in cities with large ethnic Russian populations leads to images of mafia involvement. This theory is further supported by the dominant ethnic Russian controlling interests within the clubs. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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