Five Premier League stars ‘targeted by match-fixers’, claims whistleblower former footballer

A WHISTLEBLOWER claims at least five Premier League players have revealed they were targeted by match-fixers.

Former footballer Moses Swaibu, 35, was jailed for conspiracy to commit bribery in 2015 and served four months of a 16-month sentence.

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He has since worked with The FA and Premier league and told The Telegraph the approaches were made between 2015 and 2019.

He insists that illegal betting syndicates have targeted the top tier of English football.

Swaibu said stars were “approached by match fixers outside [their] training ground” or at London casinos, per The Telegraph’s report.

He added that many players confessed to having gambling problems and were confused about being banned from placing wagers while their clubs were sponsored by betting companies.

Footballers in the top six tiers of the men’s game and top two in the women’s are banned from placing any bets on any game of football across the world.

Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney and Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali are among those who have been handed lengthy bans.

Swaibu is set to take part in a BBC 5 Live podcast called Confessions of a Match Fixer discussing how he became involved in betting syndicates.

He was convicted in 2015 following an undercover investigation alongside another former pro Delroy Facey.

Swaibu – best known for his time at Lincoln and Bromley – claimed he was aware of players who had been sent bullets after not going through with fixes.

After his release, Swaibu worked with the Premier League and Football Association to help educate players.

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He told The Telegraph: “The players told me they gamble.

“They say, ‘I gamble because we’re sponsored by a gambling company, so why can’t I do it?’

“Players, actually turning me around on a few a few occasions and said, ‘I’ve been approached by match fixers outside my training ground’, or ‘I’ve gone out where players do in London…go to the casinos and they’re like, yeah, this Asian person’s approached me'”

The FA said via The Telegraph: “The integrity of English football, across all levels of the game, is of paramount importance.

“Gambling on football by professional players is strictly prohibited, and each season we deliver bespoke education to all professional clubs and players with key information and advice on the risks of betting and match fixing in football.

“We also encourage all football participants to report any potential breaches of our rules and regulations to us directly.”