Match-fixing: Police arrest 12 refs and officials
Leading referees and officials are among 12 people arrested in Bosnia in a match-fixing investigation into the country’s second division.
The suspects are facing charges of organised crime, bribery and abuse of position, according to the Bosnian Prosecutor’s Office which said they had been implicated in “demanding and receiving gifts and other benefits” to fix the outcome of matches during the 2018-19 season.
The Bosnian FA said it fully supports the investigation and is ready to help any way it can, adding the damage made is “immeasurable”.
The prosecutor’s office told Bosnian media: “The investigation found that the suspects repeatedly requested and received certain sums of money in order to influence a favourable result for a particular football club.”
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According to local media searches were conducted at several locations, including private properties owned by referees and officials of the Bosnian FA, in the capital Sarajevo as well as Brcko, Novi Travnik and Orasje.
The arrests come while UEFA is looking to create a multi-national agency that would help coordinate match-fixing investigations.