Match-fixing scandal hits Estonia football
Eleven men charged for allegedly fixing 17 games, including three Estonian Europa League fixtures.
The Public Prosecutor’s office in Estonia has charged 11 men for match-fixing in 2011 and 2012.
The office said in a statement on Monday that the charges related to 12 domestic league games, three Europa League matches and a fixture in Lithuania.
The 11 men approached footballers in Estonia, Lithuania and Ukraine who were prepared to fix games for money, the statement read.
The accused are alleged to have made $147,000 from the match-fixing scheme.
Earlier in 2013, FIFA suspended eight players from Estonia and one from Lebanon for being involved in match manipulation and fraud.
Last week two men were charged with conspiracy to defraud as part of an investigation into match-fixing in English lower-league soccer.
Earlier this year an inquiry by European police forces, Europol and national prosecutors uncovered a global betting scam run from Singapore.
About 680 suspicious matches, including the Champions League and qualifying games for the World Cup and European Championships, were identified in the probe.