Last July, Mr. Isaev told Sport Connect, a Russian sports news outlet, that the club planned to engage in a joint venture with Chinese partners, and that it already had someone “mingling in local soccer circles” in China.
In The Cover’s story last week, a travel agent in the western Chinese province of Sichuan named Yang Jun was quoted as saying that someone claiming to be a former member of the Anzhi Football Club had once reached out to him, hinting at a possible collaboration and saying that he had extensive contacts within FIFA, soccer’s governing body.
On Wednesday, the Interfax news agency reported that Mr. Isaev had been arrested on suspicion of large-scale fraud. The Kommersant newspaper reported Thursday that the arrest was linked to World Cup ticketing fraud.
Kommersant said that Mr. Isaev, who it said became a top manager at Anzhi Msk in October after quitting the Anzhi Football Club, was suspected of causing an estimated $1.1 million in losses for Chinese fans. It said Mr. Isaev had pleaded not guilty to the charges, saying he had been set up by his business partners.
Ms. Bryutova, Mr. Isaev’s business partner, was also detained, Kommersant said.
In a statement on Thursday, Anzhi Football Club said that while Mr. Isaev was its executive director from January to October of 2017, his activity since then has had “no connection” to the club.
Until 2016, the owner of the Anzhi Football Club was Suleyman Kerimov, a Russian oligarch and lawmaker who made billions in oil, mining and finance. He was arrested last year in the French Riviera, over the Kremlin’s objections, in connection with a tax fraud and money laundering investigation.
Multiple attempts to reach Anzhi Msk and the Russian Embassy in Beijing were unsuccessful. The Chongqing Morning Post reported on Sunday that its reporters had visited Anzhi Msk’s office in Moscow and found it empty.
Source : NYtimes
