17 held in match-fixing bust- Champions League and Europa League games in betting scandal
21 Nov 2009 - 00:34:15
The biggest match-fixing ring ever to hit football was busted yesterday after police carried out raids across Europe.
The ring is believed to involve 200 people and at least 200 matches,including Champions League and Europa League ties, with players,coaches, referees and officials among the suspects.
Grounds for concern: Around 200 football matches in nine European countries including at least three Champions League games are implicated in a new match-fixing scandal
Seventeen people were arrested during 50 simultaneous police swoops which included addresses in and around London. No arrests were made in the UK but German prosecutors leading the investigation said cash, valuables and paperwork were seized in Britain that will be used in evidence.
In all, nearly £1million worth of assets were seized in the Europe-wide raids. The betting scandal involves huge sums of money placed with Asian bookmakers on matches, including three Champions League games and 12 Europa League games targeted by the gang this year. The group is believed to have made millions of pounds after bribing key players and referees.
Fifteen people in Germany were arrested and two in Switzerland after a year-long investigation by sums of money placed with Asian bookmakers on matches, including three Champions League games and 12 Europa League games targeted by the gang this year. The group is believed to have made millions of pounds after bribing key players and referees.
Fifteen people in Germany were arrested and two in Switzerland after a year-long investigation by Germany's KK21 squad - the agency that targets organised crime. Authorities believe the gang leaders are among those held.
Games in nine European countries are said to have been manipulated, though none in England, Italy, Spain or France.
Some 32 matches in Germany's lower divisions and dozens of first or second division matches in Turkey, Bosnia, Hungary, Croatia, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia were under scrutiny.
