As part of an ongoing investigation, Olympique Marseille's president Vincent Labrune was arrested earlier today due to his alleged participation in a fraud concerning Andre Pierre Gignac's transfer back in 2010. According to reports, OM's executive may have benefitted from the transfer with an "illicit commission".
The French police also confirmed the arrests of former president Jean-Claude Dassier and Philippe Perez, general director of the blue and white squad. The three men would have benefitted from Gignac's transfer from Toulouse, forcing the authorities to investigate them.
Sources also indicate that Gignac's transfer is not the only one being investigated. Samir Nasri's move to Arsenal and Didier Drogba's transfer to Chelsea will be under surveillance.
This is not the first time Olympique Marseille have been implicated in a scandal. Back in 1993 and after winning the UEFA Champions League, the club was discovered to have fixed a match against Valenciennes, being relegated by Ligue 1 officers and having their 1993 title erased.
But this is not the only corruption case currently being investigated in French football. Ligue 2 team Nimes are being investigated for alleged match-fixing. The club seeked to avoid relegation last year, and would have implicated such teams as Caen and Dijon. Caen's president and Dijon's coach were arrested and placed into custody today as the investigation carries on.
