Norway FA investigating match fixing claims

A second division match is called off on Sunday after Norwegian police suspect foul play to fix the result.

Turkish gendarmes face Fenerbahce footba
Match fixing dogged the Turkish game after Fenerbahce were caught up in major scandal [GETTY]

Norwegian police have opened an investigation into allegations of match fixing following a complaint from the country’s FA (NFF), the NFF said on Monday.

The NFF called off Sunday’s second division game between Ullensaker/Kisa and Ham Kam shortly before kickoff as soccer authorities suspected efforts had been made to fix the result.

“This morning we made a complaint and the police will now begin their work,” NFF president Yngve Hallen said in a
statement.

“There is very close cooperation between UEFA, Interpol and the EU on this and it has been on the agenda for a long time”

NFF president Yngve Hallen

“The NFF and clubs will assist the police as best they can, which also means that we cannot comment on specific issues related to the case.”

Hallen said that Norwegian authorities were working closely with their international counterparts during the investigation.

“There is very close cooperation between UEFA, Interpol and the EU on this and it has been on the agenda for a long time,” he told Norwegian radio station NRK.

Hallen told a news conference on Sunday he believed large, international criminal networks were behind efforts to fix the
results of matches in Norway’s lower leagues.

An investigation into a third division match between Ostsiden IL and Follo FK on June 24 had revealed a link to the
Ullensaker-Ham Kam game.

Ostsiden won the match 4-3 after being 3-0 down against Follo.

The NFF said irregular betting patterns had been noticed in relation to both games but the clubs themselves were not
suspected of any wrongdoing.

NFF communications director Svein Graff told newspaper Verdens Gang that the association’s complaint contained the
names of individuals, as well as the circumstances surrounding the two games and how the alleged match fixing came to light.

Source: Reuters