La Liga clubs deny match-fixing fixing accusation
Espanyol's Victor Alvarez (L) fights for the ball with Athletic Bilbao's Mikel San Jose during their Spanish King's Cup semi-final first leg soccer match at San Mames stadium in Bilbao February 11, 2015. Espanyol have denied any wrongdoing in an alleged matchfixing scandal
Espanyol and Osasuna have denied wrongdoing after media reports said their La Liga game at the end of last season was being investigated for alleged matchfixing.
The game at Espanyol's stadium on the penultimate matchday ended 1-1, with Espanyol taking a 21st-minute lead and Osasuna levelling a minute before halftime.
Reports said the two rivals had agreed beforehand on a draw. Osasuna were subsequently relegated even though they won at home to Real Betis on the final day, while Espanyol finished just above the drop zone despite losing 3-1 at Real Madrid.
"We want to make it absolutely clear that RCD Espanyol of Barcelona has had no part in any matchfixing or any irregularity," Rafael Entrena, an Espanyol vice president, said on the club's website (www.rcdespanyol.com) yesterday.