European match-fixing trial opens

Police say they have 250 suspects in the investigation into match-fixing The trial of four men accused of fixing more than 30 football matches in several European countries is due to begin in Germany. If found guilty they could be jailed for up to 10 years. Several other men are expected to be charged in what has been called the biggest fraud scandal ever in European football. In total, nearly 300 matches in 15 European countries are alleged to have been affected. Related stories The four men to appear in court in the western city of Bochum have been in custody since November 2009 when German police made a total of 15 arrests. Officers had been eavesdropping for several months on telephone conversations in which the suspects had allegedly been discussing the games they were going to fix and the money they would make by betting on the results. The 15 are accused of having profited to the tune of several million euros, sometimes with bets placed in Asia by agents based in London. More than 70 of the games under suspicion were played in Turkey. Germany and Switzerland also feature prominently among the 15 countries affected. Many of the suspect matches were played in the lower divisions, but it is believed that at least three were in the Champions League. One of the accused is a professional footballer. This is likely to be the first of several trials. Police say they have 250 suspects. There is no evidence that games in Germany's top league, the Bundesliga, are involved, to the relief of the German football authorities. But this trial will raise questions about the integrity of football in the lower leagues in a large number of European countries.This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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