Three men held in football match-fixing probe released without charge

Three people arrested over alleged match-fixing in Ireland’s top soccer division have been released without charge.

Files will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, gardai said.

A total of 14 arrests have been made over alleged match-fixing in the League of Ireland.

Earlier on Thursday, a unit of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) arrested two men in their 30s in the Dublin area on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud.

They were detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda station in south Dublin.

Another man in his 30s was arrested in the east of the country, also on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, and was detained at a Garda station.

Officers attached to Interpol’s Match-Fixing Task Force travelled from their headquarters in Lyon, France, to support the operation.

The arrests were the latest in an investigation launched in 2019 following reports received from the Football Association of Ireland and Union of European Football Associations.

Detectives from the anti-bribery and corruption unit at GNECB also arrested a man in the north west of the country last week as part of this investigation, dubbed Operation Brookweed.

Detective Superintendent Catharina Gunne said match-fixing is a threat to all sports and “undermines public confidence in the fairness of sport”.

“It can allow organised crime to infiltrate sport in order to use it to make illicit gains or launder proceeds of crime,” she added.

An appeal for information is continuing, with gardai urging people to report information in confidence to the Bribery and Corruption Confidential Reporting line on 1800 406080, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111 or their local Garda station.