The pre World Cup friendly game between Scotland and Nigeria scheduled for Craven Cottage in London today is reported to be the subject of a match-fixing investigation by police.
The National Crime Agency (NCA), which investigates serious and organised crime, is reported by the Daily Telegraph to have asked FIFA, world football’s governing body, to issue an alert over attempts to fix the game.
The match is scheduled as a home fixture for Nigeria, who are finalising their preparations ahead of the World Cup in Brazil which starts on June 12.The NCA are said to have told FIFA they have general information from the Asian betting markets suggesting a fixing plan is underway for the Nigeria friendly and they hope to stop the illegal activities by issuing the alert.The issue of match-fixing is returning to the spotlight ahead of the World Cup, with pre-tournament warm-up matches said to be prime targets for match fixers acting on behalf of illegal betting syndicates in Asia.
The international friendly between Nigeria and Argentina, which the Eagles won handily, was also allegedly fixed.
