Six people are in police custody after
an ex-Portsmouth player told an undercover reporter he had been involved in
fixing football matches.
Sam Sodje was filmed by the Sun on Sunday describing how he
punched an opponent in a League One game to get a red card in exchange for
£70,000.
He also said he arranged for another player to be paid £30,000
for getting a yellow card in a Championship match.
Portsmouth Football Club said it was "shocked and
saddened" by the claims.
The six people being held have not been named.
In the video, which was filmed secretly, Mr Sodje also claimed
he could rig Premier League games and was prepared to fix matches at next
year's World Cup.
Sending off
In a statement from Portsmouth Football Club, spokesman Colin
Farmery said: "If these serious allegations are true then we are extremely
shocked and saddened by them, as match-fixing of any type goes to the heart of
the integrity of the game.
"The player in question no longer plays for the club and we
have not been contacted by the authorities, but of course we would co-operate
fully with any inquiry."
Mr Sodje was sent off in the 50th minute of a League One match
while playing for Portsmouth against Oldham Athletic on 23 February.
By any standards, it was a bizarre incident. In a game against
Oldham last season, Sam Sodje twice lashed out at another player - once in the
midriff, and a second time even lower than that. Not surprisingly, he got a red
card.
Now Sodje has told the Sun on Sunday he was paid £70,000 to get
that red card. Today the Portsmouth manager at the time, Guy Whittingham, told
the BBC that nobody could fathom out why he did what he did.
This is the second football-related investigation being carried
out by the National Crime Agency. The first involves Conference football - a
much lower level of the game.
This is potentially
a much more serious investigation involving Championship and League One matches
- the second and third tiers of football in England.
The Sun on Sunday also reported that an Oldham player, Cristian
Montano, apologised to Mr Sodje after failing to get a yellow card in the first
half of a match against Wolves on 22 October.
And it reported that Mr Sodje's brother Akpo, a striker at
Tranmere Rovers, had said he would be prepared to be paid to be booked.
Oldham Athletic said in a statement: "Oldham Athletic
Football Club has been made aware of the incident and allegation surrounding
one of its players, Cristian Montano. The club will commence an immediate
internal investigation to establish all the relevant facts of the case.
"The club is co-operating with other agencies in this
matter and cannot comment on specific facts at this stage. The club will not be
issuing any further statements at this time."
Tranmere Rovers FC said: "Tranmere Rovers Football Club are
aware of Sunday newspaper allegations regarding Akpo Sodje. As this is an
ongoing investigation the club will make no further comment at this time."
The National Crime Agency, which is investigating the claims,
said: "We can confirm that the Sun on Sunday has passed material from its
own investigation to the NCA.
"An active NCA investigation is now under way and we are working
closely with the Football Association and the Gambling Commission. Six people
are in custody and are being questioned by NCA officers. We cannot comment
further at this stage."
'Dismay'
The Football League said it took claims of criminal activity
"extremely seriously" and would assist police.
Football League chief executive Shaun Harvey encouraged anyone
with any evidence to report it to the police.
Mr Harvey added: "We treat any allegations of criminal
activity in our competitions with the utmost seriousness. We will be giving our
full assistance to the police during their investigation."
The Gambling Commission and the Football Association both said
they were aware of the investigation and were working with the NCA.
Guy Whittingham, who was manager of Portsmouth at the time, said
the claims brought back memories of the match in which Sam Sodje was sent off.
He said: "Sam came racing over - and I didn't actually see
the incident at the time itself - but then you see it in the cold light of day
afterwards and you see what he's done and you can't fathom out why he's done
it."
Former Oldham player and manager Andy Ritchie told BBC News he
was "dismayed" at the allegations.
He said: "They are only allegations at the moment but if
you're sent off in a game you're letting your players down, you're letting the
team down because more often than not 10 men lose a game of football.
"If you're in a tough situation, maybe a relegation
dogfight, you could lose those three points - that could cost you a place in
that league."
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