By
Paul
Collins
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On camera: Defender Sam Sodje
has been filmed apparently arranging to fix football matches
|
Sam
Sodje faces arrest after he was filmed bragging that he can arrange for fellow
professional footballers to get yellow cards or even sent off in return for
cash.
The
defender, who played for Portsmouth and also in the Premier League with
Reading, says he can guarantee certain events in play in return for money.
In
the video, the 34-year-old defender brags that he can get a player to get
themselves booked for a £30,000 pay-out.
Fraudsters
can capitalise on this through in-game betting, where they put large bets on
incidents like red and yellow cards, penalties and even corner kicks.
In
the video, recorded by an undercover reporter from the Sun on Sunday, Sodje claims he fixed it for an
ex-Premier League player, who now plays in the Championship, to get a yellow
card and can even organise similar such events in Premier League games – for a
much greater price because of the huge fines for players at that level.
He
even boasted he can arrange for African players to influence what happens in
World Cup games, claiming some players could be easily tempted to fix because
they do not get paid as much to represent their national teams.
He
added that it was child's play for a player to get a yellow card, as they are
so common no one suspects anything is amiss and the player can continue playing
afterwards.
He
said: 'This guy came to meet me at my house and it was sorted. That's how easy
it is – it's nothing.'
Now
police are investigating after the Sun on Sunday handed over information on
Sodje, gathered over a period of four months by an undercover reporter posing
as a middleman for a betting syndicate based in the Far East.
Sodje
and his brother Stephen claim they can even get players sent off – an event which
can cripple a team's chances in a game – for between £50,000 and £70,000.
He
even said he could set up a bet an entire week before a game, while he warned
the reporter not to pay one player rumoured to be involved in fixing matches
because the sportsman was already under scrutiny.
Sodje
spoke of a meeting a Premier League player in a Manchester hotel room, as well
as at the home of another to discuss a potential fix.
The
footage also shows him admitting punching an opponent in the groin to get sent
off for a £70,000 pay-out.
While
playing for Portsmouth, Sodje punched Oldham Athletic's Jose Baxter twice in
the game, which took place in February.
He
said: 'Do you know how much I got fined? I got fined £10k and I missed six
games.'
He
said he had to launch the bizarre attack as the referee had not been booking
him for tacking.
The
reporters also claim to have met with Cristian Montano, who was allegedly
supposed to get booked in a game against Wolves in the first half – but failed.
The
21-year-old Colombian reportedly claims he was 'hacking' opposition players and
even swore at the ref but did not get booked, offering to fix another game to
make amends.
The
National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed it was investigating the claims.
In
a statement the agency said: 'The NCA can confirm that the Sun on Sunday has
passed material from its own investigation to the National Crime Agency.
Award
winner: And the central defender even reached the Premier League with Reading
'An
active NCA investigation is now under way and we are working closely with the
Football Association and the Gambling Commission. We cannot comment further at
this stage.'
The
news comes as two Conference South (the sixth tier of the English league)
footballers were charged in connection with match-fixing allegations and sacked
by their club, following a separate investigation by the NCA.
Michael
Boateng and Hakeem Adelakun, both 22, were charged this week with conspiracy to
defraud contrary to common law.
The
NCA said the Crown Prosecution Service's organised crime division was satisfied
that it was in the public interest to authorise the charges.
Boateng
and Adelakun's club, Whitehawk FC in Brighton, said the pair have now been
'dismissed with immediate effect' following an emergency board meeting.
It
is thought that illegal betting syndicates are worth £320billion worldwide,
with the practice on the rise because of the growing popularity of gambling
during games, and the ease of in-play betting.
A
large proportion of the money is generated in Asia, where gambling is largely
unregulated, as opposed to Europe.
Speaking
about the latest reports, Football League chief executive Shaun Harvey said:
'We treat any allegations of criminal activity in our competitions with the
utmost seriousness.
'Given
that there is an ongoing police investigation into this matter, we cannot comment
further at this time. Although, we would encourage anyone with any evidence to
report it to the police.
'We
will be giving our full assistance to the police during their investigation.'
The
NCA later confirmed three people were in custody over the allegations.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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