The representative of Miguel Pallardo has leapt to the defence of the Hearts midfielder after he was implicated in the match-fixing allegations which have stunned Spanish football.

It is alleged that Pallardo, 28, was one of 42 individuals who received payments totalling €965,000 (£767,551) to fix a La Liga encounter between his former club Levante and Real Zaragoza in May 2011.

Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera and Atletico Madrid captain Gabi are among 35 current players who have been accused of involvement in files submitted by Spain's Anti Corruption Public Prosecutor on Monday.

Pallardo played the full match as Zaragoza claimed the 2-1 victory they required to avoid relegation, with Gabi scoring both goals. However, Pallardo's role in the match is further complicated by the fact he was only on loan with Levante at the time and his parent club, Getafe, could have been relegated by a Zaragoza victory.

The player's agent, Clive Jagger, believes that fact exonerates his client, whom he maintains would never consider fixing the outcome of a match regardless of the situation.

"Our stance is a simple one: that there is no case to answer for Miguel," said the Valencia-based agent. "He had absolutely no knowledge of any wrong-doing regarding that game.

"It is a big headline at the moment and it is unfortunate that Miguel's name has been linked to the situation, but I am sure that everything will be cleared up very soon.

"Of everyone named [on the writ], Miguel is the one person who could never have been involved in the fixing of this particular match. He was on loan from Getafe to Levante and, although it did not prove to be the case, a win for Zaragoza could have meant Getafe going down. He would have been putting his parent club - which meant Miguel's salary and his own future - in jeopardy.

"It could have had all sorts of ramifications for Miguel, and none of them good."

A court in Spain will decide whether or not to proceed with criminal proceedings, with those found guilty potentially four years in jail, a six-year ban from football, or a fine of almost €3 million (£2,386,170).

Pallardo, who boasts 179 appearances in Spain's top two divisions, joined Hearts on a one-year contract during the summer and has recently established himself in the Tynecastle first team.

The former Spain under-21 international has made six appearances, including a classy display at the heart of midfield in the Championship leaders' pivotal 2-0 win against Rangers last month. Hearts declined to comment on the allegations last night.

Herrera, meanwhile, has said his "conscience is totally clear". The 25-year-old Manchester United player stated his innocence on his official Facebook page after it was confirmed that he and another Barclays Premier League player, were also mentioned in the anti-corruption prosecutor's report.

Herrera, who was playing for Zaragoza at the time, was adamant he had not committed any offence.

He wrote: "In an ongoing legal process involving Real Zaragoza, the club I was honoured to play for from 12 until 22 years of age, there are 41 people cited as possible witnesses, of which I am one.

"I have never had and will never have anything to do with manipulating match results.

"If I am ever called to testify in any judicial hearing, I'll be happy to attend, as my conscience is totally clear. I love football and I believe in fair play, both on and off the pitch."

Herrera joined United in the summer from Athletic Bilbao, having initially been a target for the club under previous manager David Moyes back in January.

The report shows that €50,000 was deposited in the accounts of then Zaragoza coach Javier Aguirre, financial director Francisco Porquera Perez and nine players on May 19, 2011.

Zaragoza and their former club president, Agapito Iglesias, are named in the document.

Swansea's Montero, like Pallardo, is also on the list but no coaches or club executives of Levante are implicated.

A Swansea spokesman, asked about Montero being named, said: ''We have had no contact from anyone regarding the matter.''

The alleged actions are stated as sporting fraud by article 286 bis 4 of Spain's penal code in which ''members of clubs and sportsmen, officials and referees, involved in conduct that has the finality to fix a sporting result face criminal charges''.

This is the first case of match-fixing in Spain.