Ander Herrera among 41 named in match-fixing case involving Real Zaragoza, Levante

In what's proving to be a serious headache for Spanish football, 41 players were named Monday in the alleged case of match-fixing regarding Real Zaragoza's 2-1 win over Levante at the end of the 2010-11 season.

Among the more notable names were Manchester United's Ander Herrera, who was in his final season at Zaragoza at the time of the fixture, as well as manager of Japan's national team Javier Aguirre, and Atletico Madrid captain Gabi, who were also both with Zaragoza that season.

The fixture in question, which is one of nine games being investigated by the Spanish league, saw Gabi notch a brace to save his former club from relegation.

Gabi admitted in October to receiving a transfer of €85,000 from Zaragoza that he immediately returned to the then-owner of the club, Agapito Iglesias, claiming ignorance over what subsequently happened to the money but acknowledging that such a transaction seemed suspicious.

Aguirre, meanwhile, has denied any involvement in match-fixing, with the Japan Football Association's lead attorney claiming that the manager is "very angry" over the turmoil and "has never done such a thing as a professional football coach."

Monday's publication of the prosecutor's court filing alleged that Levante players were paid a total of €965,000 in cash to deliberately lose the match, money that Zaragoza's players and officials received via bank transfers before it was taken out of their accounts and passed on.

A judge will rule on whether to proceed with the prosecution. As match-fixing is illegal in Spain, individuals who are found guilty can receive a prison sentence and clubs can be banned from official competition.