Former Netherlands international footballer accused of laundering millions of euros

Former professional football player Romeo Castelen is suspected of laundering 2.2 million euros. He also allegedly falsified contracts with a Chinese football club. The former Oranje international denies the accusations, his attorney said on Thursday at a hearing in the court in Zwolle. Castelen was not present in the court.

The 41-year-old was arrested at Schiphol in November 2019 with almost 140,000 euros in cash. According to the Public Prosecution Service, he was in possession of a total of more than 2.2 million euros in criminal money. He is also alleged to have laundered money by purchasing an apartment in Amsterdam.

According to the Public Prosecution Service, Castelen worked with scout Owen B. (45). They had forged receipts proving that the scout worked for the Chinese Zhejiang Yiteng Football Club. For example, Castelen allegedly received €200,000 because the club prevented relegation.

Castelen’s attorney, Evelien de Witte, claims that the suspect earned the cash by playing football, gambling in the casino, and selling watches to other professional footballers. “Is it cool to show off a lot of cash in a dressing room? Many payments are made with cash abroad, and that is on top of already established agreements,” the lawyer said.

She referred to a news report from 2017, which stated that a Chinese club was handing out cash payments to players after earning a promotion. She believes that the case is being determined by Castelen’s love of large sums of cash and the peculiar business practices of football abroad.

Castelen played for Dutch football clubs like Feyenoord and RKC Waalwijk and also had a short spell where he played for the Dutch national side. He joined the Chinese club Yiteng in 2017.

No comments have been made to the police by Castelen or his fellow suspect B. Both lawyers defending the suspects want to hear from the former chairman of the Chinese club. De Witte also believes that the Brazilian manager at the time could say more about the cash payments.

The Public Prosecution Service finds the alleged origin of the cash hard to believe. The prosecutor claims that Castelen lost hundreds of thousands of euros in casinos. The court will make an interim decision in this case regarding the hearing of witnesses on November 21.