Europol: investigators identify 380 fixed football matches

[Syt]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/feb/04/europol-investigation-football-matchfixing

Europol: investigators identify 380 fixed football matches

• About 425 corrupt officials, players and criminals identified
• Champions League match in England under suspicion

A Champions League tie played in England is one of 380 matches across Europe investigators say was fixed. However, European police did not reveal the identity of the match they believe was corrupt in England.

Speaking in The Hague, Europol said that they had uncovered an organised crime syndicate based in Asia that was co-ordinating the operation, with around425 match officials, club officials, players and criminals under suspicion.

Europol, which has been investigating for 18 months, said suspected matches included World Cup and European Championship qualifiers, two Champions League ties and "several top football matches in European leagues".

They said that criminals put €16m on rigged matches and made €8m in profits. Payments of €2m are thought to have been paid to those involved, while investigators said that the biggest payment to an individual was €140,000.

Europol believes a crime syndicate based in Asia was liaising with criminal networks throughout Europe. It believes match-fixing has taken place in 15 countries and 50 people have so far been arrested. Officials said they feared this was the "tip of the iceberg".

"This is the work of a suspected organised crime syndicate based in Asia and operated with criminal networks around Europe," Rob Wainwright, the director of Europol, said.

"It is clear to us this is the biggest-ever investigation into suspected match-fixing in Europe. It has yielded major results which we think have uncovered a big problem for the integrity of football in Europe. We have uncovered an extensive criminal network."

Wainwright would not reveal the identity of the Champions League match staged in the UK under suspicion due to "ongoing judicial proceedings" but he did confirm it had taken place in the last three to four years and admitted it was not a country under particular scrutiny.

He added: "The focus has been on other countries, not the United Kingdom. However we were surprised by the scale generally of the criminal enterprise and just how widespread it was.

"It would be naive and complacent of those in the UK to think such a criminal conspiracy does not involve the English game and all the football in Europe."

A Uefa spokesman said: "We will be liaising with Europol in relation to any reports of match fixing in European competition."

If true, this would be the largest football betting scandal ever.

[Syt]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21319807

Match-fixing: Champions League tie played in England 'was fixed'

A Champions League tie played in England is one of 680 matches across the world investigators say was fixed.

European police did not reveal the identity of the match they believe was corrupt in England.

But Europol did say that they had uncovered an organised crime syndicate based in Asia that was co-ordinating the operation.

Some 425 match officials, club officials, players and criminals are suspected of being involved.

At a news conference in The Hague, Netherlands, Europol claimed:
- The fixed Champions League tie in England took place in the "last three or four years";
- The identity of that match cannot be revealed due to "ongoing judicial proceedings";
- Other "corrupt" matches included World Cup and European Championship qualifiers and "several top football matches in European leagues";
- In Germany-based matches alone, criminals wagered £13.8m (16m euros) on rigged matches and made £6.9m in profits. Officials fear this is as the "tip of the iceberg";
- In total 380 suspicious matches were in Europe and a further 300 in Africa, Asia and south and central America.

Rob Wainwright, director of Europol - the European Union's law enforcement agency, said:"This is the work of a suspected organised crime syndicate based in Asia and operated with criminal networks around Europe.

"It is clear to us this is the biggest-ever investigation into suspected match-fixing in Europe. It has yielded major results which we think have uncovered a big problem for the integrity of football in Europe.

"We have uncovered an extensive criminal network."

Europol, which has been investigating for 18 months, said suspected matches included World Cup and European Championship qualifiers, two Champions League ties and "several top football matches in European leagues".

In addition to the £13.8m wagered on Germany-based matches, payments of £1.73m are thought to have been paid to those involved.

Financial details were not given from the other countries said to be involved, except that the biggest payment to an individual was in Austria for a total of £121,000.

Europol believes a crime syndicate based in Singapore was liaising with criminal networks throughout Europe, adding that match-fixing has taken place in 15 countries and 50 people have so far been arrested.

In total, 30 countries and close to 700 matches worldwide were examined.

Many of the allegations involved matches in lower divisions around Europe.

German police described a global network involving couriers ferrying bribes of up to £86,000 per match around the world, paying off players and referees.

Most cases have been discovered in Germany where 14 people have been jailed for a total of 39 years.

Criminal convictions have also been secured in Finland, Hungary, Slovenia and Austria.

Asked specifically about the allegations surrounding the Champions League tie held in England, Wainwright declined to identify the match because of "ongoing judicial proceedings".

However he did say it happened in the last three to four years, adding: "The focus has been on other countries, not the United Kingdom. However we were surprised by the scale generally of the criminal enterprise and just how widespread it was.

"It would be naive and complacent of those in the UK to think such a criminal conspiracy does not involve the English game and all the football in Europe."

A Uefa spokesman said they would co-operate with the investigation. He said: "We will be liaising with Europol in relation to any reports of match fixing in European competition."

How 'matches were fixed'
Police say gang members around the world were tasked with maintaining contacts with corrupt players and officials. Laszlo Angeli, a Hungarian prosecutor, gave an example of how it worked: "The Hungarian member, who was immediately below the Singapore head, was in touch with Hungarian referees who could then attempt to swing matches at which they officiated around the world. Accomplices would then place bets on the internet or by phone with bookmakers in Asia, where bets that would be illegal in Europe were accepted."

[Syt]

Europol's investigation

Inquiry started 18 months ago.

Initially involved Germany, Finland and Hungary, before being extended to Slovenia and Austria.

Ended up looking at 680 matches in 30 countries.

13,000 emails were analysed.

A total of 425 suspects were identified.

50 people have been arrested.

80 search warrants obtained.

A number of criminal investigations now taking place.

[jimmy olsen]

Any info hinting that they've been doing this with other sports as well?

[Syt]

Not as far as I can see at the moment.

Soccer is probably a popular target (there's been numerous betting scandals in the past) because while having a lot of revenue it's much more decentralized than, say, pro US sports.

[jimmy olsen]

Not as far as I can see at the moment.

Soccer is probably a popular target (there's been numerous betting scandals in the past) because while having a lot of revenue it's much more decentralized than, say, pro US sports.

The reason I asked is point shaving in basketball seems to be a much easier thing to pull off, but maybe I'm mistaken.

[Jacob]

Read a thing a few months back about how Canadian soccer was being fixed - probably by the same people. The reporter had done some investigation and had run into people reporting physical intimidation to cover it up. The article suggested it wasn't confined to Canada either.

[Grey Fox]

Read a thing a few months back about how Canadian soccer was being fixed - probably by the same people. The reporter had done some investigation and had run into people reporting physical intimidation to cover it up. The article suggested it wasn't confined to Canada either.

What's really incredible is people are betting money, around the world, on 3rd division Canadian Soccer.

They could have just as easily made the whole league up & no one would have been the wiser.

[Admiral Yi]

Canada has soccer? 

[Barrister]

Canada has soccer? 

Of course we have soccer.

But what was surprising even to me is that it is such small scale, semi-pro stuff that someone would bother to bet on it.

[Josephus]

Yeah, that was a strange story. It was mostly German and East European gambling outfits fixing minor league/ amateur Canadian games.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/09/12/soccer-fixing-canada.html

and from that article...the reason why:

It's easier to fix a game in the lower leagues, there's less control, less attention to those games, plus the players earn less so they're easier to compromise for money," Conen said.

[Syt]

Europol has confirmed that matches of German teams are concerned, but that said games weren't played in Germany - which means it's been done for one of the European cups.

[DGuller]

How shocking that a game where a referee has vast and absolute power can be easily fixed.

[dps]

Canada has soccer? 

Of course we have soccer.

But what was surprising even to me is that it is such small scale, semi-pro stuff that someone would bother to bet on it.

Don't be naive.  Some people will bet on anything--junior high basketball games, semi-pro football games (take your pick of what type of football), Little League baseball games.  Heck, forget confining it to sports--right now, there's probably a bookie taking bets on what the color tie the local TV weatherman will wear on the 11 PM news tonight.

[Josephus]

...and the smaller the league, the easier to get away with it. The athletes are more likely to take bribes (harder to bribe a millionaire) and the league is under a lot less scrutiny.