Fredrik Gardare, the former head of a Swedish police unit investigating organised crime in sport, has alleged that evidence of match-fixing involving Premier League players has been overlooked by English authorities. Gardare claims that multiple top-flight footballers were implicated in a scheme uncovered during a 2021 raid on an illegal casino in Sweden.
According to Gardare, mobile phones seized in the raid contained evidence of betting manipulation on yellow cards, corners, and other match events across Europe. He stated: 'There was more than one Premier League player (found on the phone).' The Swedish police opted not to pursue the investigation further, a decision Gardare described as bewildering.
Gardare previously led a successful match-fixing case against former Manchester City, Sunderland, and Fulham midfielder Dickson Etuhu, who was banned for five years in 2020 for fixing Swedish matches. Gardare now urges the English FA to act, saying: 'This is important for England and international football to stop ongoing match-fixing.'
The English FA confirmed they have not yet received the evidence but wish to assess it. Meanwhile, the Swedish FA's integrity officer, Johan Claesson, stated that the intelligence received in 2021 lacked specifics to act upon. Gardare remains critical of the decision to halt the investigation, stressing the need for cross-border cooperation to combat corruption in the sport.
