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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Tuesday, 19.03.2024, 04:06

Group of persons arrested for fixing football matches in Latvia

BC, Riga, 24.10.2014.Print version

The State Police, in cooperation with the Latvian Football Federation (LFF) and UEFA, have busted a group of persons for fixing football matches in Latvia and other countries. The detainees are associated with Latvian football club Daugavpils "Daugava", as the State Police's spokesman Dairis Anucins confirmed to LETA.

 

Daugavpils "Daugava" has long been suspected of game fixing on the local and European levels. The LFF has received several reports from the UEFA and betting company "Federbet" that implicated the club in game rigging.

 

Former "Daugava" striker Stanley Ibe, of Nigeria, caused uproar last October by saying that all the club players knew that several games had been rigged. Ibe said that the club's coach and players were paid for doing what Olegs Gavrilovs told them.

 

Gavrilovs is the former president of the "Dinaburg" football club, he was disqualified from Latvian football for life in 2009. Later on, "Dinaburg" merged with "Daugava". Gavrilovs can still be seen in the stands during almost every game "Daugava" plays.

 

Then "Dinaburg" head coach Tamaz Pertia was also disqualified in 2009, but his disqualification was lifted next year, and currently he is the head coach at the Riga "Skonto" football club.

 

Portal Spotracentrs.com reports that the police have detained "Daugava" head coach Ivan Tabanov from Moldova, and players Aleksandrs Vlasovs and Jevgenijs Kosmacovs.

 

The police will give a press conference at 3 p.m. to present further information about the arrests. The Criminal Police Chief Andrejs Grisins, LFF Secretary General Janis Mezeckis and a representative from the UEFA will participate in the press conference.

 

According to Sportacentrs.com, police searches are possible at another two or three Latvian football clubs.

 

This past summer, the Criminal Law was amended so those responsible for game fixing could be held responsible.

 

"Daugava" is to play its next Latvian Higher League match on Sunday against "Daugavpils". The club became the Higher League champion in 2012.





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