Suspected football match-fixing ring raided

Police have arrested several people in Germany and abroad suspected of bribing players and officials to fix matches in top European football leagues, German prosecutors said on Thursday.

“The accused are suspected of bribing players, coaches, referees and officials from high-ranking European football leagues to manipulate the results of games,” said a statement from prosecutors in the western city of Bochum.

The investigations, carried out with the European football association UEFA, have been ongoing since the beginning of 2009.

“As a result of the investigations … several searches and arrests took place throughout Germany and abroad,” the statement added.

Contacted by AFP, prosecutors refused to provide further details but said a news conference would take place at 2:00 pm (1300 GMT) Friday.

According to the Berliner Morgenpost daily, investigations have been launched into around 100 suspects involved in placing huge bets on allegedly fixed matches in the Turkish first flight.

Harald Stenger, a spokesman for the German Football Federation (DFB), said: “As far as the DFB knows, no German matches are affected.”