UEFA: No Euro 2008 Qualifiers Were Fixed

voldemort · 12-05-2007, 10:48 AM

UEFA's recent match-fixing investigation does not involve any Euro 2008 qualifiers.

Europol and the European football governing body have teamed up to investigate 15 matches played so far this season that may have been subject to match fixing, with a further 11 dating back to July 2005 also thought to be under investigation.

But no Euro 2008 qualifying games were involved, according to this UEFA statement:

"UEFA introduced, over one year ago, an early warning system in order to monitor irregular betting activities, and agreed to work together with the appropriate police authorities.

"In this respect we were informed of some unusual betting patterns in the preliminary rounds of UEFA club competitions.

"In one case, a second round UEFA Intertoto Cup match, the disciplinary inspector considered the circumstances serious enough to bring the case before the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body.

"At its meeting on Thursday, November 29 it requested further investigations be carried out before taking a final decision.

"For the avoidance of doubt, there are no investigations under way into any of the qualifying matches for Euro 2008.

"As a responsible governing body UEFA is continuously monitoring football betting patterns and will take disciplinary action in any cases where that may be justified.

"While any investigation is ongoing it is not appropriate for UEFA to issue further comment."

The matches in question are thought to mostly have taken place in the Intertoto and UEFA Cups, and mainly involved teams from south and eastern Europe, and the Baltic states.

UEFA have been on the trail of these allegedly fixed encounters since early November, when a delegation of officials traveled to meet Europol with a 96-page dossier in hand.

Asian betting syndicates are said to have been responsible for the rigging of these encounters, with UEFA having prepared documentation on their methodology.

But the police investigation is still ongoing, meaning that there may be plenty more drama to come.

Former Football Association official Graham Bean noted, ""These are clearly exceptionally serious allegations, but having said that they will be extremely difficult to investigate.

"Clearly for UEFA to pass this report across [to the police] they must have evidence of some kind, perhaps as a result of betting patterns, or individuals telling them what they know."

source:goal.com

12-05-2007, 10:48 AM	#1 (permalink)
voldemort Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 8,186	UEFA: No Euro 2008 Qualifiers Were Fixed UEFA's recent match-fixing investigation does not involve any Euro 2008 qualifiers. Europol and the European football governing body have teamed up to investigate 15 matches played so far this season that may have been subject to match fixing, with a further 11 dating back to July 2005 also thought to be under investigation. But no Euro 2008 qualifying games were involved, according to this UEFA statement: "UEFA introduced, over one year ago, an early warning system in order to monitor irregular betting activities, and agreed to work together with the appropriate police authorities. "In this respect we were informed of some unusual betting patterns in the preliminary rounds of UEFA club competitions. "In one case, a second round UEFA Intertoto Cup match, the disciplinary inspector considered the circumstances serious enough to bring the case before the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body. "At its meeting on Thursday, November 29 it requested further investigations be carried out before taking a final decision. "For the avoidance of doubt, there are no investigations under way into any of the qualifying matches for Euro 2008. "As a responsible governing body UEFA is continuously monitoring football betting patterns and will take disciplinary action in any cases where that may be justified. "While any investigation is ongoing it is not appropriate for UEFA to issue further comment." The matches in question are thought to mostly have taken place in the Intertoto and UEFA Cups, and mainly involved teams from south and eastern Europe, and the Baltic states. UEFA have been on the trail of these allegedly fixed encounters since early November, when a delegation of officials traveled to meet Europol with a 96-page dossier in hand. Asian betting syndicates are said to have been responsible for the rigging of these encounters, with UEFA having prepared documentation on their methodology. But the police investigation is still ongoing, meaning that there may be plenty more drama to come. Former Football Association official Graham Bean noted, ""These are clearly exceptionally serious allegations, but having said that they will be extremely difficult to investigate. "Clearly for UEFA to pass this report across [to the police] they must have evidence of some kind, perhaps as a result of betting patterns, or individuals telling them what they know." source:goal.com