Brussels, 04/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - In The Hague on Monday 4 February, Europol, the police cooperation agency of the EU, announced the dismantling of a criminal network suspected of having fixed nearly 380 football matches, including Champions League matches and World Cup qualifiers, AFP reports. This is the “the largest ever investigation into suspected match fixing”, said Rob Wainwright, director of Europol, adding that his organisation had identified 425 masterminds, players and criminals involved in 15 countries.
“The investigation reveals an enormous problem with integrity in European football”, the Europol boss stresses. The network, which was controlled from Singapore, is believed to have netted at least €8million. Most of the fixed matches were played in the Turkish, German and Swiss championships, Europol revealed, but other matches across the world were involved. It is believed that two European Champions League and qualifiers for the World Cup were also fixed. The fixtures were played between 2008 and 2011.
Europol also referred to 300 other fixed matches in Africa, Asia and Latin America. “A single fixed match can involve up to 50 suspects in 10 countries on different continents”, said German investigator, Friedhelm Althans. “Even two elimination rounds of the World Cup in Africa, and one in Central America, are under suspicion”, he said.
Among the other games examined, AFP continues, are two Champions League matches, one of which was played in Great Britain, qualifiers for a Euro championship and first-division matches in several European Championships, with Italy's Calcio, of course, included in the investigation. However, the investigators declined to reveal the names of any players or clubs until the investigations have been concluded.
In recent months, the European leaders have made efforts to tackle the phenomenon at their own level and to focus on new tools, but the response remains limited. In September of last year, in Cyprus, sports ministers signed a declaration on the fight against match fixing, recommending, amongst other things, the need for prevention, monitoring and development of detection mechanisms, deterrent penalties, including criminal sanctions, and international coordination. In its action plan on online gambling and gaming of October 2012, the Commission also announced a recommendation in 2014 on preventing match fixing. (SP/transl.fl)