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Both FC Groningen and Allach have lodged official complaints over the misuse of their names and identities. The club has since alerted other Eredivisie sides, and both the KNVB and the Public Prosecution Service are now aware of the situation. Officials at the club believe this wasn't the work of a lone scammer, but rather an organized group operating with real skill.
How the Fraud Was Carried Out
According to the club, the fraudsters contacted players' agents by phone and email, posing as FC Groningen representatives and claiming genuine interest in signing their clients. To make the approach convincing, they used documents carrying the club's official logo, colour scheme, and address, along with email addresses designed to look authentic.
Once a deal seemed close to being finalized, the scammers would ask for money, usually from the agents, saying the funds were needed to cover things like medical checks, flights, or travel arrangements. Chief scout Arno de Jong said he personally fielded roughly ten calls from worried agents over the past few weeks, all flagging the same suspicious pattern, which told him the operation had been running at a considerable scale. He described one instance where an agent reached out to him, thrilled about an offer and contract terms he thought had come directly from the club, only to realize later the whole thing was fabricated.
Allach noted that the fake contracts weren't flawless and contained telltale errors. He pointed out that the paperwork listed salaries as net amounts, whereas football contracts are typically written in gross figures. The impersonation even extended to WhatsApp, where scammers used Allach's actual profile photo but messaged from unfamiliar numbers under wrong names. One agent grew suspicious after noticing that the person claiming to be Allach spoke English poorly.
A Player Left Waiting at the Airport
Investigators later found a fake contract offer drawn up for Danish footballer Julius Madsen of AC Horsens. The forged document promised him a net monthly salary of 12,000 euros, a company car, and a four-year deal with the option of a fifth season, all supposedly signed off by "Mo Allach - Sporting Director."
The scam went further than paperwork. An English player actually traveled to Schiphol Airport, fully convinced he was about to join FC Groningen. When no one arrived to collect him, he began to suspect something was off. It's believed his agent had already wired money based on the fake deal. What makes the situation worse is that the player had turned down other legitimate offers to pursue this one.
Signs Point to a Wider Pattern
Interestingly, the fraudulent documents also carried the name of PEC Zwolle's main sponsor, hinting that other clubs may have been targeted using the same tactics. General director Frank van Mosselveld revealed that similar identity theft had already struck the sport before, mentioning that Roda JC director Jordens Peters and PEC Zwolle's Gerry Hamstra had both had their names exploited in comparable schemes last season.
Van Mosselveld explained that the scammers' methods were polished enough to slip past agencies juggling multiple deals at once, since a single unnoticed detail in a busy office could be all it takes. He added that identifying the culprits will likely be difficult, given that this appears to be a professional scam ring rather than individuals connected to football itself. Still, he believes raising public awareness is the best defense, since the more people who know about these tactics, the fewer will fall victim to them.
