10 men have been arrested in connection with alleged match-fixing in the League of Ireland by the Gardaí.
The arrests were made in a series of raids this morning in Dublin, Limerick, and Cork on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud. The men arrested all aged between their 20s to 60s.
Operation Brookweed, the investigation into alleged match-fixing, is being led by the Anti-Bribery and Corruption Unit.
The investigation began three years by the Garda Anti Bribery and Corruption Unit following reports of suspected match-fixing from the FAI and UEFA. In 2019, the FAI and UEFA reported their suspicions that some League of Ireland matches may have been fixed.
A number of residential areas were searched with help from the Limerick and Cork City divisions as part of the planned operation. The males are currently being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at various stations in the Southern and Dublin Metropolitan regions.
Detectives examined unusual betting patterns in a number of matches where they suspected deliberate fouls may have been committed to ensure one team lost and money was paid out.
Gardaí continued their investigation by interviewing League of Ireland players and officials at the time, as well as carrying out a number of searches at a sports ground in the south of the country.
Detectives viewed League of Ireland games and suspect that deliberate fouls may have been committed which ensured that players were sent off and their teams then lost the games.
Bets were made that a team would lose by a certain number of goals, more than one, and the money would be paid out. In addition to this, it was also noticed how large members of one home support in one part of the country had been successfully betting on their team to lose.
This happened in a number of games while suspicions arose that the matches had been fixed and the men who placed these bets knew what the score would be beforehand.
The men can be detained and questioned for up to 24 hours.
In response to this, the FAI released a statement. The governing body said, “The Football Association of Ireland notes the latest developments in the Gardaí enquiry into alleged match fixing. The FAI in conjunction with UEFA, remains committed to a zero tolerance policy on match fixing. As this is now a legal matter, we will be making no further comment.”
