Doha summit on match-fixing

The Premier League are to hold talks with the Football League, SPL and other European leagues on Thursday to discuss the issue of match-fixing.

Government officials, police chiefs and around 400 delegates are attending a two-day meeting in Doha where the issue of match-fixing is high on the agenda.

Football's governing bodies have been keen to crack down on corruption since Europol's recent claims that around 680 matches worldwide could have been fixed by Asian crime syndicates.

Four days ago the Football Association said there was suspicious betting activity in the Conference South.

In the wake of the claims an unnamed non-league player said he was approached about fixing a game while bookmakers refused to take bets on Chelmsford, Billericay and AFC Hornchurch.

"There is and will be an opportunity there to fix matches and fix matches in a way that brings lots of money for those people who are in other parts of the world and remember that's where most of the betting goes on."
Lord Stephens

The FA contacted all 22 teams in the Blue Square South and reminded players and officials of the rules surrounding gambling and match-fixing.

Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens, who is in Qatar attending the International Centre for Sport Security summit, warned of the risk of corruption in the lower leagues.

"If you look lower down in other areas of sport and football is one of them," said Lord Stevens.

"There is and will be an opportunity there to fix matches and fix matches in a way that brings lots of money for those people who are in other parts of the world and remember that's where most of the betting goes on."