Radja Nainggolan, who was arrested in January 2025 on suspicion of involvement in cocaine trafficking, has made new statements, confessing that he borrowed €100,000 from a known criminal to pay off gambling debts.

The 36-year-old midfielder, currently playing for Belgian second-division club Lokeren-Temse, initially claimed the money was to help friends with financial difficulties but later admitted it was for personal needs. During interrogations, he stated: “They didn’t need the money—I needed it for myself.”

Nainggolan, whose bank accounts were frozen due to divorce proceedings, explained that he needed the money for casino expenses and has since repaid the debt.

The report indicates that he borrowed money from several individuals, including Nasreddin Sekkaki, a 34-year-old criminal with over 30 convictions for theft, extortion, and drug trafficking.

Sekkaki, currently on probation, described the loans as a “friendly gesture” and confirmed that Nainggolan repaid all amounts. The money was typically withdrawn from Sekkaki’s mother’s account and handed to Nainggolan in €100 bills, with repayments made in installments of €5,000 to €30,000, sometimes labeled as “construction investments.”

Nainggolan, known for his gambling addiction, was also a victim of a €150,000 scam at a Monaco casino in 2018. In January, he was among 18 people arrested in a police operation that seized 2.7 kg of cocaine, firearms, two luxury watches (each worth €360,000), jewelry, gold, and €370,000 in cash. The network is suspected of smuggling cocaine from South America to Belgium via the port of Antwerp.

Nicknamed Belgium’s football “bad boy” for his colorful hair, tattoos, and smoking habit despite his athletic career, Nainggolan was released on bail and denies involvement in organized crime.

With 30 caps for Belgium (last called up in 2018), he spent most of his career in Italy with clubs like Roma and Inter Milan, winning Serie A with Inter in 2020-21.

Despite the controversy, Nainggolan continues to play for Lokeren-Temse, which has qualified for the Belgian Pro League promotion playoffs. This season, he has scored 3 goals and provided 2 assists in 13 games. His lawyer, Omar Soudi, maintains his innocence and insists on the presumption of innocence.