Belgian club Lokeren have staunchly defended former Belgium and Inter midfielder Radja Nainggolan following reports he faces prosecution over allegations of money laundering.
Nainggolan was arrested in January as part of an ongoing investigation by the Brussels public prosecutor’s office into drug trafficking operations from South America to Europe.
He spent a night in jail and had his car seized by authorities as he was held as a suspected member of a criminal gang. The arrest came amid 30 searches conducted by Brussels police on Monday morning across Brussels and Antwerp.
However, despite the latest controversy, Nainggolan’s current club Lokeren has come forward to defend him publicly.
Chairman Hans Van Duysen maintained that Nainggolan is innocent until proven guilty, as the case has yet to go to trial. He also expressed frustration over the negative attention the situation has drawn due to Nainggolan’s high-profile career and decorated past.
Radja Nainggolan while playing for Spal in the Serie B . (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)
“He hasn’t been charged yet, let alone convicted in the first instance or on appeal. So you can’t just assume he’ll get five years in prison,” he told HLN.
“Fortunately, we still live in a constitutional state. A person is innocent until proven guilty. Radja has the right to a fair trial.”
Van Duysen also acknowledged the negative attention surrounding the case due to Nainggolan’s decorated career, saying: “This isn’t pleasant. We’re a football club with a certain level of visibility and press coverage. If Radja were a grey mouse, you wouldn’t call. But as a former Rode Duivel, he has a media-savvy past.”
This incident marks another controversial chapter in Nainggolan’s turbulent career, which has been marred by disciplinary issues.
In 2018, while playing for Roma, he was dropped and fined after posting a video on social media appearing intoxicated. In 2022, during his spell at Royal Antwerp, he was suspended after being seen smoking an electronic cigarette on the bench, an act the club claimed set a poor example for younger players.
