The man regarded as the mastermind behind the rise of the Swedish team Östersund has appeared in court at the start of a trial in which he is accused of serious financial crimes.

Daniel Kindberg is said to have helped funnel millions of kronor in taxpayers’ money into the club in a scheme that involved two other men and three companies, one being the Östersund municipality’s housing corporation, for which Kindberg was the chief executive.

Kindberg could be sentenced to a maximum of eight years. He denies the accusations. The trial, taking place in the town of Härnösand, is scheduled to run until 1 October.

When Kindberg was the club’s chairman, Östersund rose from the amateur ranks in 2011 to Sweden’s top league in 2015 and won the Swedish Cup in 2017. Östersund qualified for last season’s Europa League, where they advanced to the knockout stage before losing to Arsenal despite winning the second leg 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

Östersund could lose their place in the Swedish league if Kindberg is found guilty.