Blackburn's DJ Campbell arrested for Match Fixing

[Juancornetto 1]

"Blackburn Rovers striker DJ Campbell has been arrested in connection with a spot-fixing investigation, according to sources close to the club.

The 32-year-old, who played in the Premier League with Birmingham City, Blackpool and Queens Park Rangers, was one of six people held in the latest investigation into corruption in football by the new National Crime Agency, which began looking at match-fixing after a Telegraph sting last month exposed the biggest such alleged scandal in England for decades.

Campbell’s yellow card against Ipswich Town in a Championship game on Tuesday 3 December is at the centre of police enquiries into allegations players have been paid to get themselves booked or sent off, according to the The Sun.

Sources close to Blackburn said Campbell, who joined Blackburn from QPR this summer following a loan spell, had been arrested as part of an NCA investigation after it acted on information passed to it by the newspaper.

The tabloid reported that an undercover investigator met former Portsmouth player Sam Sodje, who allegedly said he could arrange for footballers in the Championship to get themselves booked in return for tens of thousands of pounds.

It is also alleged he claimed he could rig Premier League matches and even offered to fix games in next summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil.

 

The NCA, which is working closely with the Football Association and the Gambling Commission, has opened an investigation into the claims and six people were last night being questioned.

 

Last month an undercover investigation by Telegraph unearthed allegations that betting syndicates were attempting to fix the results of matches in this country.

 

Four men, including two non-league players, are due to appear in court this week in connection with that particular NCA investigation.

 

In the latest case, 34-year-old Sodje, who was born in London but has represented Nigeria at international level, allegedly told an undercover reporter that it was “easy” to influence games and claimed he could guarantee bookings “100 per cent”.

He also allegedly claimed that, when playing for Portsmouth, he earned £70,000 from a syndicate after getting sent off for punching an opposing player in the groin. He allegedly resorted to the tactic after previous efforts to catch the referee’s eye and get dismissed had failed. He was reported as saying: “I had to do it because the referee wasn’t booking me.”

Sodje, who also played for Reading, Charlton Athletic and Notts County, allegedly told undercover reporters he could fix Premier League games, but the cost was much higher because of the risks being taken by the players involved.

Sodje told an undercover reporter: “The easiest one is a booking. You just push someone, swear at the referee, kick the ball away. A yellow card is a standard thing. No one would even be suspicious.”

 

Sodje allegedly demanded £30,000 to arrange for a Championship player, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to receive a yellow card in the first half of a recent game. However, the player did not get booked until the second half of the match, for which Mr Sodje apologised, claiming he had “messed up”.

It is thought the alleged spot-fixing scams are organised by betting syndicates operating in the Far East."

It is also alleged he claimed he could rig Premier League matches and even offered to fix games in next summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil.

The NCA, which is working closely with the Football Association and the Gambling Commission, has opened an investigation into the claims and six people were last night being questioned.

Last month an undercover investigation by Telegraph unearthed allegations that betting syndicates were attempting to fix the results of matches in this country.

Four men, including two non-league players, are due to appear in court this week in connection with that particular NCA investigation.

In the latest case, 34-year-old Sodje, who was born in London but has represented Nigeria at international level, allegedly told an undercover reporter that it was “easy” to influence games and claimed he could guarantee bookings “100 per cent”.

He also allegedly claimed that, when playing for Portsmouth, he earned £70,000 from a syndicate after getting sent off for punching an opposing player in the groin. He allegedly resorted to the tactic after previous efforts to catch the referee’s eye and get dismissed had failed. He was reported as saying: “I had to do it because the referee wasn’t booking me.”

Sodje, who also played for Reading, Charlton Athletic and Notts County, allegedly told undercover reporters he could fix Premier League games, but the cost was much higher because of the risks being taken by the players involved.

Sodje told an undercover reporter: “The easiest one is a booking. You just push someone, swear at the referee, kick the ball away. A yellow card is a standard thing. No one would even be suspicious.”

Sodje allegedly demanded £30,000 to arrange for a Championship player, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to receive a yellow card in the first half of a recent game. However, the player did not get booked until the second half of the match, for which Mr Sodje apologised, claiming he had “messed up”.

It is thought the alleged spot-fixing scams are organised by betting syndicates operating in the Far East"

 

I can just about understand non-league guys being tempted to take a bung, the money on offer to them is multiples of their monthly salary but DJ Campbell and the likes should have the book thrown at them if found guilty, it's plain greed. Picking up a Premier League salary and probably a comfortable millionaire from his career earnings they still feel the need to cheat for money.

[Yorkshire Bear 0]

According to Sky News the other player is Cristian Moritano of OldhamAthletic.