The court found it proven that Castelen laundered several million euros in undeclared funds through the Chinese club Zheijiang Yiteng (now known as Shaoxing Keqiao Yuejia) with the help of the club's sporting director. Castelen played for the club until 2017.
Before that, he was under contract with clubs including Feyenoord and Hamburger SV (from 2007 to 2011). He played for the Dutch national team 10 times.
In 2019, when Castelen was about to fly to China, he was arrested at Schiphol Airport. Authorities found 139,000 euros in his carry-on luggage. Castelen claimed the money came from casino winnings and selling expensive watches.
A co-defendant also received a prison sentence and a fine. Prosecutors had sought a three-year prison term for Castelen. The former professional plans to appeal the verdict.