UEFA CONGRESS:UEFA WILL bring match-fixing charges against a European club within days, European soccer's governing body said yesterday.

“There are number of cases we have been looking at,” Uefa general secretary David Taylor told a news conference after the Uefa Congress.

“It’s very complex and very difficult to find proof. But within the next couple of days we will be issuing charges against one club.”

Taylor did not disclose which country the club was from. In September Uefa said they were reviewing 10 matches from the current Uefa Cup season and 15 from last season for irregular betting patterns, all in the competition’s preliminary rounds.

Uefa will launch a gambling investigating unit next season featuring experts who will review suspected irregularities in matches from European competitions.

“Uefa are setting up this betting fraud detection system across Europe to include 27,000 matches in the first and second divisions in each national association,” Taylor said. “Only a few matches cause us problems but we are determined to root out this problem.”

Uefa president Michel Platini called match fixing “a serious risk to football.”

“Through this early warning system we will find out what bets are being placed,” Platini said.

“I’ll be extremely firm with those who cheat. I don’t accept players who cheat and will suspend them from any a ctivity in football.”

Meanwhile, Uefa revealed that their annual profit in 2007-08 was 18 per cent higher than they forecast as European soccer’s ruling body benefited from surging sales at a highly successful Euro 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland. Profit, swelled by the quadrennial tournament of national teams, soared to €235.6 million in the 12 months to June 30th, from €38.8 million the previous year.

Total revenue jumped 67 per cent to €1.925 billion from €1.152 billion.