Premier League Stars Accused of Match-Fixing in Explosive Investigation

The Premier League is facing fresh match-fixing allegations after a former head of an international crime investigation unit revealed evidence linking top-flight players to corruption.

Fredrik Gardare, who previously led a Swedish police unit tackling organised crime in sport, claims that crucial evidence uncovered during a casino raid has been ignored—despite linking Premier League players to suspicious betting activity.

The revelations raise serious questions for the Football Association (FA) about how widespread match-fixing is in English football, and whether sanctions will follow.

FA Yet to Receive Key Evidence

According to Daily Mail Sport, the FA has not yet received the findings from Swedish police but is eager to review the evidence.

Gardare has a history of exposing football corruption. One of his most high-profile cases was an 18-month investigation that uncovered ex-Manchester City midfielder Dickson Etuhu’s role in attempting to fix matches in Sweden. Etuhu was found guilty of bribery and banned from football in Sweden for five years.

Casino Raid Uncovered Links to Premier League Players

Gardare’s final investigation before his unit was disbanded focused on match-fixing at the highest levels. In late 2021, Swedish police raided an illegal casino, seizing multiple mobile phones.

One phone in particular allegedly contained extensive evidence on Telegram chats showing professional players cooperating with criminals to manipulate matches across European leagues—including games in the UEFA Nations League.

Gardare claims Premier League players were among those involved.

Despite the findings, Stockholm police and the Swedish national police authority decided not to pursue the case further. The phone, Gardare insists, is still in police possession.

“It was very high priority from my side, I set my whole team on this investigation,” he told Daily Mail Sport.

“But at the same time, the police said, ‘We are finished with this’ in December that year.

“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.

“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.

“There was more than one Premier League player (found on the phone). Betting on yellow cards, corners and other aspects in matches.

“That phone is either sitting with Stockholm police or the national police force.”

EXC: Premier League stars have been caught in a match-fixing storm

🔍Ex-police chief says a mobile phone with ‘clear’ evidence of PL stars match-fixing is sat with Swedish police

❌ His previous probe exposed ex-Man City’s Dickson Etuhu of bribery https://t.co/8ay9TQHGcv

— Isaan Khan (@IsaanKhan_) August 27, 2025

Calls for Action

Gardare has urged the authorities to act before the evidence disappears.

“I have worked on hundreds of match-fixing cases, and this was the clearest case you could have. It doesn’t get any clearer than being found on a confiscated mobile phone. It is a very good opportunity to do something about this.”

Swedish FA integrity officer Johan Claesson confirmed receiving limited intelligence back in 2021 but said the secrecy of the investigation prevented any action.

“It is correct that the Swedish FA, back in 2021, received general intelligence from the police that they had found information regarding match-fixing on both national and international level in a phone after a raid against an illegal casino, but the intelligence we received did not contain any specifics (due to the secrecy of the on-going police investigation) that we could act on.”