Uefa investigate match-fixing claims

"On the eve of today's draw for those finals, Uefa - European football's governing body - confirmed a report in a German newspaper that they have given Europol a list of fixtures that may have been influenced by irregular betting patterns from Asia.

"However, Uefa have denied that Euro 2008 qualifiers form part of the investigation.

"...Fifteen of the suspect games were played during the current season with the other 11 between July 2005 and Nov 2006. They mostly concerned teams from eastern and southern Europe notably Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia but also the Baltic states in the north.

"...According to Der Spiegel, five Uefa officials flew in early November to Europol headquarters in The Hague and handed in a 96-page dossier detailing each case and what methods were used to fix the games..."