The game's governing body-FIFA is investigating claims of spot-fixing in Premier League matches after former Southampton captain Claus Lundekvam said he and many others earned "lots of money" from the practice when the Norwegian played for the club in 1996-2008.
FIFA released a statement yesterday that its chief investigator in England was involved in monitoring the case.
Lundekvam told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that several players and staff in the team bet hundreds of pounds on things like who would take the first throw-in, corner, or penalty - "things we could easily influence." He said they never influenced the result of a match, but that spot-fixing "was accepted in those years in England at the end of the 90's and beginning of the 2000s."
Lundekvam's claims were aired Monday after he commented on match-fixing suspicions in the Norwegian first division, following the weekend cancellation of a local game by the national football association.
The 39-year-old Lundekvam said that in many cases everyone within the team, including coaches, knew about the fixing and that club staff often placed the bets so that it would not raise suspicions about the players.
"It's not something I'm proud of having been part of, but we were absolutely not alone about this although that doesn't make it any better," he told NRK.
He said gambling and betting was part of the lifestyle among many Premier League players.
"We live in a bubble as football players, as pros, and we play around the clock when we are together. We play cards on the bus, on the Internet, everywhere we go," Lundekvam said. "So, it's a part of a lifestyle with a little adrenalin and excitement ... so what we could gamble on, we did."
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FIFA released a statement yesterday that its chief investigator in England was involved in monitoring the case.
Lundekvam told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that several players and staff in the team bet hundreds of pounds on things like who would take the first throw-in, corner, or penalty - "things we could easily influence." He said they never influenced the result of a match, but that spot-fixing "was accepted in those years in England at the end of the 90's and beginning of the 2000s."
Lundekvam's claims were aired Monday after he commented on match-fixing suspicions in the Norwegian first division, following the weekend cancellation of a local game by the national football association.
The 39-year-old Lundekvam said that in many cases everyone within the team, including coaches, knew about the fixing and that club staff often placed the bets so that it would not raise suspicions about the players.
"It's not something I'm proud of having been part of, but we were absolutely not alone about this although that doesn't make it any better," he told NRK.
He said gambling and betting was part of the lifestyle among many Premier League players.
"We live in a bubble as football players, as pros, and we play around the clock when we are together. We play cards on the bus, on the Internet, everywhere we go," Lundekvam said. "So, it's a part of a lifestyle with a little adrenalin and excitement ... so what we could gamble on, we did."
Tags-Latest Football News | Football Blog
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