The long-running match-fixing case that cast a shadow over CD Eldense has dramatically collapsed, with all six defendants acquitted of every charge after a nine-year legal saga.
An Alicante criminal court ruled that the accusations — centred on alleged attempts to fix five Segunda B matches during the 2016–17 season — were not backed by solid evidence. The judge found witness statements unreliable, contradictory and unsupported by proof.
Italian investor Nobile Capuani, who briefly took control of Eldense in early 2017, was cleared alongside coaches Filippo Di Pierro and Fran Ruiz, and players Maiki, Nico Cháfer and Jesús Cháfer. Prosecutors had sought convictions for corruption in business, criminal organisation membership and, in Capuani’s case, document forgery.
In a blistering judgment, the court said key testimonies alleging cash offers to throw matches could not be trusted. Some witnesses had testified earlier as suspects, others contradicted each other, and alleged meetings and WhatsApp chats were never proven. A single screenshot — challenged and never forensically analysed — was thrown out.
The judge also dismantled the wider case, ruling that Segunda B did not qualify as a competition of special economic or sporting relevance that season — a requirement for the corruption charge to stand.
Reports submitted by LaLiga on betting patterns and an alleged Italian investment network were dismissed as speculative, while a police intelligence report suggesting two shadowy criminal organisations was rejected outright.
Even the forgery accusation against Capuani collapsed, with the court noting that handwriting analysis based only on photocopies fell short of proof under Supreme Court standards.
With “reasonable doubt” hanging over every charge, the judge ordered a full acquittal.
However, the case is not over yet. Prosecutors, LaLiga and Eldense’s private accusation have already confirmed they will appeal to the Provincial Court of Alicante, while the Royal Spanish Football Federation is still weighing up its next move.
For now, one of Spanish football’s most explosive scandals has ended not with convictions — but with a courtroom collapse.
