Diego Costa is in a mess. The Spanish-Brazilian striker was the target of a police operation in Brazil on Thursday, as part of an investigation into alleged criminal activity, including money laundering, linked to a gambling site. The federal police of the state of Sergipe – in the northeast of the country – where Diego Costa is from, said in a statement that an (unidentified) player “is presumed to be at the head of the financing of a criminal system ”.
The authority did not wish to disclose the names of people “possibly involved in this investigation”. However, news sites Globo Esporte and Spear assure that the player in question is indeed the 32-year-old striker in the 24 selections with Spain, especially during the 2014 and 2018 World Cups.
“Operation Distraction”
The police activity deployed Thursday, dubbed “Operation Distraction”, was looking for evidence corroborating “alleged practices of exploitation of gambling, money laundering, monetary evasion and criminal organization in connection. with a gambling site, ”according to the official report.
For their part, Atlético Mineiro leaders said in a statement that they were not aware of the alleged facts, which allegedly occurred before the player arrived at the club, without mentioning his name. Diego Costa joined the current leader of the Brazilian league in mid-August, after his contract with Atlético Madrid ended.