Now referees are caught up in betting storm as 'fixer' claims match officials can be bought for £20,000

Now referees are caught up in betting storm as 'fixer' claims match officials can be bought for £20,000

Referees have now become embroiled in the explosive match-fixing scandal that continues to blight the landscape of British football.
Six men have been arrested as part of a National Crime Agency investigation into alleged match fixing – linked to Asian betting syndicates - in English non-League football.
The alleged match fixer, who was among the six arrested on Tuesday night after being secretly filmed by The Telegraph, was also recorded claiming he would pay referees across Europe for £20,000.

Premier League: Delroy Facey celebrates scoring in the top flight for Bolton in 2003

FOOTBALL'S FIXERS

A First Division match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on Good Friday in April 1915 was fixed in United's favour, with players from both sides benefiting from bets placed on the result.
Three players from the English first division - Peter Swan, Tony Kay and David Layne - were paid to fix a game between their side, Sheffield Wednesday, and Ipswich in December 1962, which Wednesday lost 2-0. All three got four months' imprisonment and life bans.
Unusual betting patterns were reported on a match between Accrington Stanley and Bury in May 2008. A FA investigation resulted in Jay Harris being banned for a year, David Mannix for 10 months, Robert Williams and Peter Cavanagh for eight months and Andrew Mangan for five months. They were fined between £2,000 and 5,000.
Four Australian players, who used to play for Hornchurch, were arrested in September after allegedly conceding goals as part of a match-fixing ring.

As part of a wider conversation on match-fixing, the Singaporean is recorded saying: 'The price for one game is £20,000. So I know some referees… You want Europe, anywhere, £20,000.'
Within the context of the conversation it is unclear whether he meant to imply that British referees were involved.
Among the men held in the last few days are believed to be three current footballers and Delroy Facey, the former player-turned-agent who once played in the Premier League for Bolton.
In a meeting filmed secretly by The Telegraph, a fixer from Singapore claimed gamblers could stand to make hundreds of thousands of pounds using insider information to place bets with Asian companies.
The man, who met undercover reporters in Manchester, is reported to have planned to target two matches this month.
Explaining how he would ensure players deliver a particular scoreline, he told an undercover reporter: 'In England the cost is very high... usually for the players it is £70,000. 'So I talk to them. Double confirm. I also tell them, I tell ... this [is] what I want ... Because simple, I commit myself and they commit. So you tell me how many goals ... Give me at least five ... either 3-2, 4-0 or zero, ... for me four is enough.'

Much travelled: Facey played for many other clubs, including West Bromwich Albion

REPORTED MATCH-FIXING!

Lincoln City manager Gary Simpson has revealed he reported a game to the FA because he suspected match-fixing.
Simpson said: 'I must admit I have been involved in games where you think something is not right and I certainly flagged one of them up. I was involved in a game, I don't want to say where it was, but there were two penalties given against us. I was told there had been an irregular betting pattern on it during the game and before the game.
'I flagged that up. We heard from the authorities that it was correct and there had been an irregular betting pattern in the game.'

Sam Allardyce earlier expressed his ‘shock’ at the news that one of his former players is linked to the match-fixing scandal that has rocked football.
Facey was signed by Allardyce at Bolton in 2002. He made 10 Premier League appearances for the club in two years, scoring one goal.
That time with Bolton proved to be 33-year-old Facey’s one flirtation with the highest echelon of English football and on Thursday Allardyce, now in charge of West Ham, gave Sportsmail his reaction.
‘You can tell I’m shocked by my reaction,’ said Allardyce. ‘I’d heard the news on the radio while driving this morning but I didn’t realise any names had been linked. Wow.
‘I remember Delroy. He did well against us for Huddersfield in a cup game and we did the usual thing, getting our scouts to keep an eye on him.

Director of Sport Integrity: Battle against match-fixing is...

Journeyman: Facey, seen here playing for Huddersfield, also had time at Tranmere and Rotherham

Man of many clubs: Facey (right) celebrates with his Hereford United team-mates

DELROY FACEY FACTFILE

Huddersfield 1996-2002 82 games, 15 goals
Bolton 2002-2004 14 games 2 goals
Bradford (loan) 2002  6 games 1 goal
Burnley (loan)  2003 16 games 5 goals
West Brom 2004 9 games 0 goals
Hull 2004-2005 25 games, 6 goals
Huddersfield (loan) 2005 4 games 0 goals
Oldham 2005 9 games 0 goals
Tranmere 2005-2006 41 games 9 goals
Rotherham 2006-2007 43 games 11 goals
Gillingham 2007-2008 35 games 3 goals
Wycombe (loan) 2008 8 games 2 goals
Notts Co 2008-2010 71 games 12 goals
Lincoln (loan) 2009-2010 10 games 1 goal
Lincoln 2010-2011 40 games, 4 goals
Hereford 2011-2012 43 games 6 goals

Total: 453 games, 77 goals

‘He didn’t quite make it to the top but I thought he had a good career. He might have been frustrated that he wasn’t as successful as he wanted to be. He was a powerhouse. Lots of pace and strength.
‘But what we found with him was the simple fact that he couldn’t score enough goals at the Premier League level. He was prolific in the lower leagues. But not with us.’

A spokesman for the NCA said: 'Six men have been arrested across the country as part of an NCA investigation into alleged football match fixing. The focus of the operation is a suspected international illegal betting syndicate.

'The NCA is working closely with the Gambling Commission and the Football Association. This is an active investigation and we are unable to provide further detail at this time.'
It is not believed that any Premier League sides are involved in the scandal, but the identities of those clubs affected cannot be disclosed for legal reasons. A Football Association spokesman said: "The FA has been made aware of a number of arrests in relation to an NCA investigation.

Consolation: Facey was relegated from League Two with Hereford but was congratulated for his efforts by fans

'We have worked closely with the authorities in relation to these allegations. The FA will make no further comment at this time due to ongoing investigations.'

The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that it has liaised with the NCA during the investigation. In one of the Manchester meetings, the alleged fixer explained that the syndicate would use a yellow card at the beginning of the game as a signal that the match was fixed.

He said: 'For example, within the first 10 minutes, I will ask them to take one yellow card. So, one yellow card is about £5,000.

'So I say [to the player], okay, in the first 10 minutes I need to see the yellow. If there's no yellow, that's it, I will not pay you anything.'
In a statement, Football League chief executive Shaun Harvey said the league had not yet been contacted by the police.

'We understand from media reports that there is an ongoing Police investigation into alleged match fixing in domestic football,' the statement said.

'To date, we have had no contact from the Police regarding this matter.

'The threat of corruption is something that The Football League and the other football authorities treat with the utmost seriousness.

'The integrity of our matches and our competitions is the bedrock of the domestic game.'
Meanwhile, the Football Conference issued a statement on its official website this morning. It said: 'The Football Conference has become aware of a story published today concerning arrests being made over alleged match fixing.

'The Football Conference takes all matters relating to the integrity of the game very seriously but it cannot make any comment on today's story as it would be inappropriate to do so.'

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