Moldova's National Anticorruption Centre detain four persons in file on fake matches

Chisinau, 8 December /MOLDPRES/ - Eleven people working in the football sector are prosecuted, under the Criminal Law, by the National Anticorruption Centre (CNA) and prosecutors within a file opened on manipulation of sports events. Four of these persons have been detained.  

According to data by CNA, among the people concerned in the file, there are heads of football clubs from Moldova, headmasters of specialized sports schools and players who represent five teams out of those ten who play in the National Division. The operation was held jointly with representatives of EUROPOL and UEFA, who provided technical, information and analytical assistance to inquirers.    

According to the quoted source, starting from 2017, more coaches, agents of sportspeople, owners of sports clubs and people from the leadership of the Moldovan Football Federation would have influenced players of sports clubs to act in a vitiated way, in order to get the scores agreed upon with people interested. Thus, in exchange of rewards, footballers were trained to have a certain behavior during the game and the results of the matches were already known at betting agencies.     

Following investigations, more suspect bets were identified, which do not fit the quotas of real bets and the fact of permanent manipulation of football matches from Moldova, with the involvement of the same teams, was confirmed. Inquirers’ information shows that the sums for an arranged match varied between 10,000 and 20,000 euros; these sums were preponderantly at betting agencies from Asia; at the same time, connections with betting agencies from European Union countries were ascertained too.    

Inquirers also established that over 20 matches had been faked since last July till present, with the estimated value of profits got by people involved amounting to 600,000 euros.

If found guilty, the persons detained run the risk of up to six years of imprisonment or criminal fine, in both cases with the deprivation of the right to hold certain offices for a period from four to seven years.  

photo: CNA