21 November,2009 09:20 AM IST | | AFP
Around 200 football matches in nine European countries including at least three Champions League games are implicated in a new match-fixing scandal, German prosecutors said yesterday.
UEFA expert Peter Limacher told a press conference in Germany that the revelations represented "clearly" the worst ever match-fixing scandal in European football.
The suspect matches took place in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, Hungary, Bosnia-Hercegovina and Austria, netting criminals several million euros (dollars) in betting profits, prosecutors believe.
They include 12 matches this season from the Europa League, formerly known as the UEFA Cup, one qualifying game for the under-21 European championship and four from the German second division.
Police carried out around 50 raids on Thursday in Germany, Britain, Switzerland and Austria, arresting 15 people in Germany and two in Switzerland. More than a million euros in cash and property were seized.
A network of some 200 people is suspected of influencing matches and placing bets on them with bookmakers in Europe and Asia.
Prosecutors have reason to believe that players, coaches, referees and officials were offered bribes.
