German police probe alleged match manipulation

Police are working across several states.

Germany.- Police in the German states of Hessen and Saarland have confirmed that they are working on a joint investigation into 17 football matches over suspicions of match-fixing. The matches in question were in the DFB-organised 3. Liga, Regionalliga and Oberliga.

As reported by the Hamburg Morning Post, the cases span from November 2022 to the middle of this year. The investigation is said to focus on “suspicious refereeing and behaviour from goalkeepers and defenders”. The German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) is reportedly coordinating investigations. 

Players and referees found guilty of match-fixing can be sentenced to up to three years in prison under Germany’s Criminal Code. There could be additional charges as it’s alleged that those involved may have exchanged information and traded expected game results on the dark web. 

In a statement to the SID, the DFB said: “We do not yet have any reliable information on this. However, we are already in contact with the responsible authorities. Further details are not available with regard to the investigations that have been initiated.”

The International Betting Integrity Association’s (IBIA) last report identified 90 suspicious betting alerts made to authorities in the second quarter of the year. That’s a rise of 80 per cent compared to the same quarter last year but a decrease of 3 per cent compared to Q1 of 2024.

There was a notable rise in esports, which overtook football as the sport with the highest number of alerts. Esports accounted for around half of all alerts, followed by football and tennis. There were 19 alerts from Europe, including 6 from Poland. That compares to 4 reports from Europe in Q1 of this year and 31 in Q2 2023.