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A former head of Sweden’s sports crime unit has alleged that Premier League players were implicated in match-fixing after evidence was seized during a casino raid — but says the case has been ignored by authorities.
Allegations From a Former Investigator
Fredrik Gardare, who previously led Sweden’s police unit tackling organised crime in sport, says a confiscated phone contained detailed evidence of players working with criminals to manipulate matches across European leagues, including the Nations League. He claims the device showed Premier League footballers involved in betting scams on incidents such as yellow cards and corners.
Gardare insists the evidence was “the clearest case you could have,” yet the investigation was dropped in late 2021 before his unit was disbanded. The phone, he says, remains in police possession.
Pressure on Authorities
The Football Association has not received the investigation’s findings but is understood to be keen to review them. Gardare fears the case has been left to gather dust and is urging Swedish police or football officials to act.
“We also gave the information to the football federation here in Sweden directly and said, ‘This is serious.’ Hopefully they called the English FA, but I don’t know,” he told Daily Mail Sport.
“This is important for both Swedish football and football in several countries. It’s important for England and international football to stop ongoing match-fixing.”
Past Cases Add Weight
Gardare previously led an 18-month investigation that exposed former Manchester City midfielder Dickson Etuhu for attempting to fix matches in Sweden. Etuhu was found guilty of bribery and banned from football for five years.
Response From Swedish FA
Swedish FA integrity officer Johan Claesson confirmed receiving intelligence in 2021 but said no actionable details were shared due to the secrecy of the police investigation.
The Swedish police, Stockholm police, and Premier League have all been approached for comment.
