by David Jolly, CNBC
THE HAGUE — Criminal organizations have infiltrated the highest levels of European and international soccer, threatening the very integrity of the sport, global law enforcement officials said on Monday as they unveiled the results of a 19-month investigation that showed that hundreds of people had been involved in match-fixing.
At least 425 people from more than 15 countries — including club and match officials, and current and former players — are suspected of conspiring to fix hundreds of matches on behalf of Asian criminal syndicates that made millions of dollars in profits by betting on the results, they said.
Those matches included qualifying games for both the World Cup and the European Cup, and two Champions League matches, including one in England.
“This is a sad day for European football, and more evidence of the corrupting influence of organized crime,” said Rob Wainwright, the director of Europol, which helped coordinate the investigation among European Union member states, Interpol and non-European nations.
Citing the doping scandal that has undermined public trust and interest in cycling, Mr. Wainwright warned that the problem must be tackled quickly or soccer would lose the trust of the public.
In all, 680 matches have been identified as suspect, officials said, including 300 outside Europe, primarily in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
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