Euro 2008 Games Not In Match-fixing Probe

UEFA has revealed that none of the 15 games that it has reported to Interpol under suspicion of match-fixing were qualifying matches for Euro 2008.

European football’s governing body has given a 96-page report to Interpol alleging that 15 games in a variety of competitions were fixed.

UEFA has confirmed that all the matches involved preliminary rounds of club competitions.

‘In most cases it is just suspicion,’ said UEFA spokesman William Gaillard.

‘There is only one match that involves an investigation and that was a match in the second round of the Intertoto Cup. It was not a decisive match.’

Uefa’s suspicions were raised by unusual betting patterns around the games and it is believed that the vast majority of clubs involved come from countries in eastern and south-eastern Europe, with Bulgaria, Georgia, Serbia, Croatia and the Baltics among those linked with the report.

Graham Bean, the former police officer who used to head up the Football Association’s compliance unit, commented: ‘They are exceptionally serious allegations if the stories are correct but they will be extremely difficult to investigate.

‘Clearly UEFA, for them to pass this report across, do have some evidence of some kind that would suggest has come down the route of betting patterns or individuals rolling over and telling them what they know.

‘Nevertheless if that is the case they still need to get corroborative evidence to prove what has supposedly gone on.’