By Andrew Warshaw
November 29 – Two men have now been charged as part of the investigation into alleged match-fixing in English football as fresh details emerged amid claims that even World Cup games may have been rigged. Chann Sankaran, a 33-year-old Singapore national, and Krishna Sanjey Ganeshan, a 43-year-old with dual UK and Singapore nationality, have been remanded in custody and will appear in a Birmingham magistrates court.
According to Britain’s National Crime Agency, both those charged are alleged to be members of an international illegal betting syndicate based in Singapore and are among the six people originally arrested earlier this week following an undercover sting operation by a British newspaper. A seventh man has since been arrested and he and four others were bailed pending further inquiries.
The charges allege that between November 1 and November 26, “at City of Manchester and elsewhere, the two men conspired together with each other and others to defraud bookmakers by influencing the course of football matches and placing bets thereon”.
It has also been revealed that a former Premier League footballer, Delroy Facey, now a football agent, was one of the six detained as part of the investigation. The other suspects are reported to include three current footballers though not from the top four English leagues.
The arrests were made following an investigation by the Daily Telegraph during which undercover reporters discussed the possibility of influencing scores and outcomes of lower-league English games for as little as £50,000.
A Football Association spokesman said: “The FA has been made aware of a number of arrests in relation to an NCA investigation. 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.”
Singapore, where much of the illegal activity is rooted, is refusing to say whether it is cooperating with the English case. Last month, Tan Seet Eng, also known as Dan Tan and widely considered as one of the mastermind behind the global match-fixing scourge, was widely reported to have been arrested.
Back in February, European police said a Singapore-based syndicate was responsible for at least 380 soccer games in Europe alone being rigged, accruing profits of at least eight million euros.
Meanwhile, the alleged fixer uncovered by the Daily Telegraph sting claims he even manipulated World Cup matches in Europe and Australia.
During a secretly recorded meeting earlier this month, he said “I do Australia, Scotland. Ireland. Europe. World Cup. World Cup qualifier”. He claimed to control the entire team for one African country, which cannot be named for legal reasons.
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