French midfielder Julien Maggiotti almost fell prey to a scam transfer on the January transfer deadline day, he has revealed.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
- Maggiotti almost fell prey to a scam transfer
- Scammer pretended to be Eintracht Brunswick director
- Was on the verge of catching a flight to Germany
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- AFP
WHAT HAPPENED?
Maggiotti, who plies his trade at Ligue 2 side Bastia, was approached by a man pretending to be Benjamin Kessel, the sporting director of Bundesliga 2 side Eintracht Brunswick. In the final hours on the deadline day, the midfielder was on his way from Paris to Germany to complete a loan move when he realised he had fallen prey to a scam and that Brunswick were never keen on signing him. The impostor demanded the player pay €10,000 to book a medical, claiming the club no longer had an agreement with a local hospital.
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WHAT JULIEN MAGGIOTTI SAID
Speaking to , Maggiotti said: "My agent, through one of his contacts in Germany, had done more in-depth research and understands that Eintracht Brunswick has never been interested and that this thing is totally false."
He added: "During those hours of waiting, it was hard. You ask yourself a lot of questions. You say to yourself, but what did I do to deserve this? But I don't blame anyone. It happened to me, that's all."
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
The individual, who pretended to be Kessel, reportedly tried to scam players from Guingamp, Ajaccio and Nancy. The German side have already filed a complaint with the authorities, according to . Maggiotti began his career at Lucciana and later went on to play for clubs like Cholet, Lavia and Charleroi before moving to Bastia in 2023.
- AFP
WHAT NEXT?
Bastia, who are currently ninth in Ligue 2, will be back in action on Friday as they take on Clermont Foot in a league clash.
