Why Arturs Lotcikovs' story exposes the flaws in football’s judicial system

A footballer who was wrongfully accused of match-fixing before having his ban overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has described spending the last two years of his life "fighting for justice".

Arturs Lotcikovs, a Latvian defender, was handed a 12-month ban and fine by the Latvian Football Federation (LFF) after being accused of manipulating a second division match in October 2023 when playing for Dinamo Riga.

Then 23, Lotcikovs was summoned to the LFF’s headquarters where, after a 10-minute interview, no formal legal trial, and being without a legal representative, the federation ruled he was guilty of match-fixing, despite providing no conclusive evidence. It resulted in the former U-21 international having to go to CAS, where he successfully appealed his ban a year later.

Still looking to clear his name via Latvia’s courts, Lotcikovs’ case illustrates the flaws in football’s judicial system when it comes to protecting player rights: despite winning his case at CAS, Lotcikovs still had to deal with the unilateral ban that restricted valuable playing time during a pivotal moment in his career, not to mention legal costs.

Background

After spending four-and-a-half seasons in Latvia’s top-flight, Lotcikovs moved to second-tier side Dinamo Riga in June 2023. Four months later Dinamo Riga were leading 3-0 in a league game against FK Tukums 2000 II when they conceded four second-half goals and lost the match 4-3.

"I sat in my car for an hour after that game thinking what had just happened," recalls Lotcikovs. "I’m a player who always fights to win games."

The LFF Ethics Committee launched an investigation into alleged match-fixing and some Dinamo Riga players were brought to the federation’s headquarters, including Lotcikovs.

"The federation took eight or nine players to the office," explains Lotcikovs. "We each had meetings where it was one player against four of them. When I went in for my interview, I was told from the first minute I was guilty."

Banned from Latvian football for 12 months, Lotcikovs launched an appeal and moved to an Italian club in February 2024, but the LFF’s decision still cast its shadow.

"The Latvian federation sent a letter to my new team and the Italian federation to say that, after the appeal committee has made a decision, they would try to extend my ban worldwide via UEFA and FIFA.

"Even though it was legal for me to play outside of Latvia, it felt like the federation was doing everything they could to stop me from playing, even abroad. As someone who played for all the national teams up until under-21 level, I couldn’t understand why they would do this."

FIFPRO legal aid helps take case to CAS

Lotcikovs reached out to FIFPRO for legal guidance and support. "Without FIFPRO, I wouldn’t have been able to pay the legal fees to take the case to CAS. And once the federation understood there’d be a legal procedure, they offered me a deal to remove my fine in exchange for cancelling the CAS case. Perhaps they felt they would lose the CAS case."

Lotcikovs successfully appealed with CAS, who ruled there was no evidence that he individually manipulated a match. While the ruling was a victory for Lotcikovs, he was not granted compensation for the legal costs or for the time he was unable to work during a crucial time in his development.

"I was 23 when I received the ban and while I missed out on salaries during that time, the money isn’t important for me – it was the time. At that age, I was fighting for my future; going to a lower team in order to get a chance to then move higher, so it was a real blow to miss some of that time."

The fight for justice continues

Lotcikovs, who has not played football in Latvia since his initial ban, is planning to take his case to the country’s courts, a potentially long and costly procedure, to fully clear his name.

"We are going step-by-step. As the Latvian Football Federation declined our request for a court case, we now have to go through the country’s sport ministry," says Lotcikovs, who ended the 2024/25 season playing in Cyprus.

Lotcikovs is using his story to highlight the flaws in football’s judicial system and to warn other players of the dangers.

"Players should know they can ask for help from organisations like FIFPRO. It seems impossible that a federation can just impose a ban like that, yet it’s true. If federations were held accountable, such as having to pay compensation for when players are found not guilty, then it would be a deterrent.

"After all, I’m just one person – whereas a country’s federation has a team of lawyers and big financial backing. For them, it's nothing; for me, it’s two years of my life."