adminLONDON. — Six men have been arrested as part of a National Crime Agency investigation into alleged match fixing — linked to Asian betting syndicates — in English non-League football. The alleged match fixer, who was among the six arrested on Tuesday night after being secretly filmed by The Telegraph, was also recorded claiming he would pay referees across Europe for £20 000.
As part of a wider conversation on match-fixing, the Singaporean is recorded saying: “The price for one game is £20 000. So I know some referees . . . You want Europe, anywhere, £20 000.”
Within the context of the conversation it is unclear whether he meant to imply that British referees were involved.
Among the men held in the last few days are believed to be three current footballers and Delroy Facey, the former player-turned-agent who once played in the Premier League for Bolton.
In a meeting filmed secretly by The Telegraph, a fixer from Singapore claimed gamblers could stand to make hundreds of thousands of pounds using insider information to place bets with Asian companies.
The man, who met undercover reporters in Manchester, is reported to have planned to target two matches this month.
Explaining how he would ensure players deliver a particular scoreline, he told an undercover reporter: “In England the cost is very high . . . usually for the players it is £70 000.
“So I talk to them. Double confirm. I also tell them, I tell . . . this (is) what I want . . . Because simple, I commit myself and they commit.
So you tell me how many goals . . . ive me at least five . . . either 3-2, 4-0 or zero, . . . for me four is enough.”
Sam Allardyce expressed his ‘shock’ at the news that one of his former players is linked to the match-fixing scandal.
Facey was signed by Allardyce at Bolton in 2002. He made 10 Premier League appearances for the club in two years, scoring one goal.
That time with Bolton proved to be 33-year-old Facey’s one flirtation with the highest echelon of English football and Allardyce, now in charge of West Ham, gave Sportsmail his reaction.
“You can tell I’m shocked by my reaction,” said Allardyce. “I’d heard the news on the radio while driving this morning but I didn’t realise any names had been linked. Wow.
“I remember Delroy. He did well against us for Huddersfield in a cup game and we did the usual thing, getting our scouts to keep an eye on him.
“He didn’t quite make it to the top but I thought he had a good career. He might have been frustrated that he wasn’t as successful as he wanted to be. He was a powerhouse. Lots of pace and strength.
“But what we found with him was the simple fact that he couldn’t score enough goals at the Premier League level. He was prolific in the lower leagues. But not with us.”
A spokesman for the NCA said: “Six men have been arrested across the country as part of an NCA investigation into alleged football match fixing. The focus of the operation is a suspected international illegal betting syndicate.
“The NCA is working closely with the Gambling Commission and the Football Association. This is an active investigation and we are unable to provide further detail at this time.”
It is not believed that any Premier League sides are involved in the scandal, but the identities of those clubs affected cannot be disclosed for legal reasons. A Football Association spokesman said:
“The FA has been made aware of a number of arrests in relation to an NCA investigation.
“We have worked closely with the authorities in relation to these allegations. The FA will make no further comment at this time due to ongoing investigations.”
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that it has liaised with the NCA during the investigation.
In a statement, Football League chief executive Shaun Harvey said the league had not yet been contacted by the police.
“We understand from media reports that there is an ongoing Police investigation into alleged match fixing in domestic football,” the statement said.
“To date, we have had no contact from the Police regarding this matter.
“The threat of corruption is something that The Football League and the other football authorities treat with the utmost seriousness.
“The integrity of our matches and our competitions is the bedrock of the domestic game.” — Mailonline
Online Reporter