Ander Herrera denies match-fixing charge

The Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has said his “conscience is totally clear” and denied any involvement in match fixing after an anti-corruption public prosecutor named him among the 41 people charged for fixing a game between Real Zaragoza and Levante in May 2011.

“I have never had and will never have anything to do with manipulating match results,” Herrera said in a statement on Facebook. “If I am ever called to testify in any judicial hearing, I’ll be happy to attend, as my conscience is totally clear. I love football and I believe in fair play, both on and off the pitch.”

Relegation

Herrera played for Real Zaragoza until 2011.

The public prosecutor Alejandro Luzon filed charges with the courts in Valencia on Monday, accusing the 41, plus Real Zaragoza as an institution, of conspiring to ensure that Zaragoza defeated Levante, thus avoiding relegation, on the final weekend of the 2010-11 season. Every single player involved in the match has been named in the prosecution's case.

Luzon has accused Zaragoza of paying €965,000to Levante's players to throw the game. The money was allegedly paid by the club into the accounts of nine Zaragoza players plus the then manager, Javier Aguirre, and the sporting director, Antonio Prieto.

Two payments

The public prosecutor accuses those 11 of then withdrawing the money in cash to pay their opponents. The club maintains the payments were bonuses given to their own players. Herrera is accused of receiving two payments, of €50,000 and €40,000.

The public prosecutor's report accuses the Zaragoza president, the two directors Paco Checa and Javier Porquera, Prieto and the three club captains – Gabi, Ponzio and Jorge Lopez – of organising the fix. Other players, including Herrera, are accused only of knowing about it. Guardian Service