Uefa investigates 40 European games in match-fixing crackdown

LONDON, England -- As reported by The Guardian: "Forty Champions League and Uefa Cup games are under investigation for suspected match-fixing, European football's governing body revealed today.

"All of the cases, 15 of which took place in the last two years and the rest within the last four to five years, concerned early qualifying rounds and most involved clubs from eastern Europe. Although Uefa said it would not make public the identity of the clubs under suspicion unless it amassed enough evidence to charge them, it is not believed that any English clubs or big European names are involved.

"Peter Limacher, the head of disciplinary services at Uefa, said: "Right now it's mainly eastern Europe clubs being investigated. They know they are not going to be involved later in the tournament and they are going out, so decide, 'Let's make a profit.'

"...In each case, Uefa was alerted when bookmakers reported suspicious betting patterns. William Gaillard, senior advisor to Uefa's president, Michel Platini, said that most cases involved clubs where players did not earn much and so were tempted to fix results.

"In March Uefa announced a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption..."