In the Belgian Jupiler Pro League, 14 of the 18 football teams have been handed the red card by tax authorities and are set to face further sanctions, despite suffering significant losses in recent years.
In 2018, 'Operation Zero,' an investigation into money laundering, bribery, match-fixing, and fraud in Belgian football, resulted in 29 people being arrested.
While club officials, agents and players were among those detained, the clubs themselves had not yet come under such scrutiny.
However, L'Echo and De Tijd are now reporting that FPS Finance has been given free rein to check over their finances, invoices, and any pertinent documents to flag any wrongdoing.
Investigators have focused on specific elements of their finances such as unlawful agent commissions, complexed payments, and murky tax schemes.
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This has led to authorities now seeking €66.7 million in additional taxes, fees, and fines, which are owed by 14 Belgian teams since 2019. The sum is expected to rise as the investigation continues.
L'Echo and De Tijd have both reported that these sanctions come at a difficult time for Belgian football, considering the situation of the top league's finances, with only four clubs having turned a profit last year.
Furthermore, L'Echo have revealed that clubs in the Belgian Pro League lost more than €120 million between 2015 and 2021.
