UEFA investigates match-fixing

Last Modified: 01 Dec 2007
By: Andy Davies

UEFA confirmed this evening to Channel 4 News that they are investigating match-fixing allegations in 15 UEFA games this year, but no clubs or dates were named.

News of the match-fixing investigation came to light as UEFA officials and coaches gathered in Lucerne - ahead of Sunday's draw for Euro 2008 which will be played in Switzerland and Austria.

The German magazine which broke the story, Der Spiegel, reported that matches may have included qualifiers for Euro 2008, the Champions League, UEFA Cup and Intertoto cup.

The magazine alleges that most of the clubs involved come from countries in eastern and sout-eastern Europe with Georgia, Serbia , Bulgaria and Croatia named among them.

Alarm bells

When asked what prompted the investigation, a UEFA spokesman, Thomas Giordano, told Channel 4 News: "We have a warning system in place. If betting companies see suspicious betting patterns, then they inform us.

"This is a joint investigation between UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Body and Europol. Europol has greater powers to question people and gather evidence."

UEFA would not confirm when the matches took place, but a 96-page dossier handed to Interpol last month goes back to July 2005.

Intertoto investigated

Earlier this week, UEFA opened an investigation into the Intertoto Cup match between Bulgarians Cherno More and Macedonia's Makedonija on July 7, which Cherno More won 4-0.

However, the Bulgarian club have strongly denied any wrongdoing. Their lawyer, Mihail Statev, spoke at a news conference last Tuesday, saying, "It's an extremely unpleasant case but we think that the charges are unwarranted."