Six People Arrested for Alleged Fixing of English Soccer Matches

Six people have been arrested by police investigating alleged fixing in English football matches, amid claims of attempts to defraud Asian betting websites.

At least three footballers and an agent are among the six arrested, according to London’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, which said an undercover investigation by its reporters had triggered the police swoop.

The report said match-fixers from Asia were targeting lower-league English games.

The new National Crime Agency (NCA) said they were probing a suspected international gambling ring.

“Six men have been arrested across the country as part of an NCA investigation into alleged football match fixing,” said a spokesman.

“The focus of the operation is a suspected international illegal betting syndicate.

“This is an active investigation and we are unable to provide further detail at this time.”

The men were being held at a police station in central England on suspicion of bribery and fraud offences, The Telegraph said.

A Singaporean “fixer” was recorded telling undercover reporters that the results of English games could be decided for STG50,000 ($90,000) and correctly predicted the outcome of three games played by one team.

The team and arrested players cannot be named for legal reasons, but the agent was named by The Telegraph as former Bolton Wanderers striker Delroy Facey.

No teams in England’s lucrative Premier League are believed to be involved in the probe.

The fixer explained that gamblers could use the insider information to place bets with Asian companies.

A spokesman for the Football Association, the sport’s governing body in England, said: “The FA has been made aware of a number of arrests in relation to an NCA investigation.

“We have worked closely with the authorities in relation to these allegations. The FA will make no further comment at this time due to ongoing investigations.”

The Football League, which runs the three professional divisions below the Premier League, said they had not been contacted by the police.

“We understand from media reports that there is an ongoing police investigation into alleged match-fixing in domestic football,” chief executive Shaun Harvey said in a statement.

“To date, we have had no contact from the police regarding this matter.

“The threat of corruption is something that the Football League and the other football authorities treat with the utmost seriousness.

“The integrity of our matches and our competitions is the bedrock of the domestic game.”

In February, Europe-wide police agency Europol said it had found evidence of match-fixing in top international football matches and it had uncovered an organised crime syndicate based in Asia that was behind the operation.