Gardaí investigating spot fixing attempt in League of Ireland

An unnamed League of Ireland player has been commended by the FAI for reporting an alleged approach to participate in spot fixing. The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau are investigating the matter.

Spot fixing in football is when one or more players attempt to defraud bookmakers with a pre-arranged action to fix the result of a specific event in a game. It could be a bet on the timing of the first throw-in or first yellow card in a match.

“The League of Ireland can confirm it is aware of an An Garda Síochána operation involving a member of the public after a player in the League of Ireland was allegedly approached and immediately rejected an offer to participate in spot fixing,” the FAI said in a statement.

“We would like to thank and praise the player who immediately reported the incident in accordance with the integrity workshops delivered by the FAI to every team in advance of each season. We would also like to thank the PFA Ireland, the player’s club and An Garda Síochána for their assistance on the matter.”

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The PFAI, who represent League of Ireland players, added: “There is no concern related to [the player’s] involvement in any spot fixing or match fixing and we commend him on his actions in this regard. His response in this situation and the actions he took were exactly as we recommend to players.

“With the support of FIFPRO, the world players union, all players have access to the red button app, a reporting tool related to spot fixing and match fixing. Players also receive education annually through FAI integrity workshops.

“Unfortunately, spot fixing and match fixing are a problem in sport globally,” the PFAI statement added. “We must take all necessary actions to ensure they are not a problem in our league and we encourage all players to report any approach related to spot fixing or match fixing. As the investigation is still ongoing, PFA Ireland will be making no further comment at this stage in relation to the specific case.”

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