Former League of Ireland footballer released after questioning about alleged match fixing

Gardaí have released a former League of Ireland footballer after he was questioned about alleged match fixing.

The man was arrested at his home in the south of the country early on Tuesday by detectives from the Anti-Bribery & Corruption Unit of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB).

The man, who is aged in his 20s and has played with several League of Ireland clubs, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud.

The force said in a statement on Tuesday evening that the man had been released and a file would be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions as part of the ongoing investigation.

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The arrest brought to 15 the number of suspects detained since a Garda investigation into match fixing, Operation Brookweed, began more than three years ago.

“Match-fixing and corruption is a threat to all sports at all levels and undermines public confidence in the fairness of sport. It can allow organised crime to infiltrate sport in order to use it to make illicit gains or launder proceeds of crime,” said Det Supt Catharina Gunne of the GNECB.

“The Anti-Bribery & Corruption Unit will take proactive action where necessary to disrupt such criminality. Match-fixers prey on young and vulnerable players in order to corrupt them for their ends. A conviction for involvement in match-fixing could result in a significant custodial sentence.”

Last May a total of 10 arrests were made, including current and former League of Ireland players, on a day of action as Operation Brookweed escalated. Searches were also carried out, including at the homes of some of those arrested, and a number of phones were seized for analysis.

The criminal investigation began in 2019 when UEFA passed information to the FAI about alleged irregular betting practices on a number of League of Ireland games in the 2018-2019 period.

It emerged in 2019 that two investigations were underway into unusual betting patterns on two football matches. Mobile phones held by players were seized during a search by gardaí.

Further searches were carried out in January 2020 as part of an inquiry into alleged match fixing. On that occasion, phones, electronic devices, a stun gun and €20,000 in cash were seized, though no arrests were made.

Detectives suspect a relatively large number of people, mostly supporters of one club, bet that their team would lose specific fixtures. This created suspicious betting patterns, including the rate of winning bets spiking for some games.

There was also concern at some of the play during the games that were scrutinised, including the manner and timing of fouls and the times at which goals were scored, all of which can be bet on, and how these resulted in successes for punters.