Six nabbed for match-fixing

At least three footballers are among six people arrested by police in an investigation into match-fixing in Britain.

 

The operation is being conducted by the newly-formed National Crime Agency - which has been dubbed Britain's FBI - and is working closely with the FA.

 

Arrests followed an investigation by The Daily Telegraph into Asian match fixers who were targeting games in Britain.

 

A spokesman for the NCA said: "Six men have been arrested across the country as part of an NCA investigation into alleged football match fixing. The focus of the operation is a suspected international illegal betting syndicate.

 

"The NCA is working closely with the Gambling Commission and the Football Association. This is an active investigation and we are unable to provide further detail at this time."

 

In the undercover video recorded by The Daily Telegraph an internationally known fixer correctly predicts the results of three games played by the same team.

 

He claimed lower league matches could be fixed for as little as £50,000 and said he would pay a player an extra £5,000 to take a yellow card early in the game to signal the game had been manipulated.

 

The man, who met undercover reporters in Manchester, is reported to have planned to target two matches this month.

 

Explaining how he would ensure players deliver a particular scoreline, he told an undercover reporter: "In England the cost is very high... usually for the players it is £70,000.

 

"So I talk to them. Double confirm. I also tell them, I tell ... this [is] what I want ... Because simple, I commit myself and they commit. So you tell me how many goals ... Give me at least five ... either 3-2, 4-0 or zero, ... for me four is enough."

 

It is not believed that any Premier League sides are involved in the scandal, but the identities of those clubs affected cannot be disclosed for legal reasons.

 

Asian-betting based websites are used by the fixers to place the bets, with the British betting markets not believed to be implicated.

 

The Football Association responded to The Daily Telegraph's investigation by releasing the following statement.

 

"The FA has been made aware of a number of arrests in relation to a National Crime Agency investigation," it read.

 

"We have worked closely with the authorities in relation to this investigation. The FA will make no further comment due to it being an on-going investigation."

 

The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that it has liaised with the NCA during the investigation.

 

- SkySports