Europol uncover massive football match fixing NEWS
A Europol investigation has uncovered match fixing on an unprecedented scale involving games all over the world including some Champions League fixtures, and implicating hundreds of players, officials and organised crime figures.
At a press conference in The Hague Europol revealed that a major crime syndicate based in Asia had been responsible for match-fixing on an 'unprecedented' scale involving at least 680 matches across Europe, Africa and South America.
They also disclosed that the games involved included European and World Cup qualifying matches, major league matches and Champions League fixtures, including one played in England in the last 3-4 years, although they declined to provide exact details of the game.
In the press conference European Police stated that in Germany, the country with most illegal activity, £13.8m was wagered in the elaborate scam and profits were approximately £6.9m, with £1.73m paid to those involved.
It was claimed that as well as the organised criminals engaged in the conspiracy there were players, club officials, and match officials also implicated.
Whilst there are still ongoing investigations there have been arrests and convictions in several countries with 14 people being jailed for a total of 39 years in Germany as well as convictions in Finland, Hungary, Slovenia and Austria.
The criminal syndicate involved appears to have been highly organised and hugely successful fixing matches in over 30 countries. It is claimed that the syndicate is based in Singapore and that they have extensive links with criminal gangs across the globe.
It is likely that there will be further revelations with regard to how widely affected the British game has been and, as has been pointed out, it would be nave to suppose that football in the UK has been involved to some extent.
In recent years there have been a number of huge betting scandals in Italy and last year in Greece Police made over a hundred arrests in connection with match-fixing.
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