Revealed: Suspected Match-Fixing in Swedish Cup Uncovered in Money Laundering Probe
In a comprehensive Swedish money laundering investigation, chats revealing suspected match-fixing have been uncovered. Expressen can now show how the communication unfolded just before Assyriska BK suffered a heavy defeat against Mjällby in the Swedish Cup.
– My hope is that this will be investigated, says former police chief Fredrik Gårdare.
Fotbollskanalen has repeatedly reported on a comprehensive money laundering investigation where a seized mobile phone contains information about suspected match-fixing of football matches.
In the investigation, a Swedish man in his 40s, who denies the charges, is accused of serious tax offenses, serious money laundering offenses, and serious accounting offenses.
In chats from the mobile phone, the man communicates with contacts, both in English and Swedish, about several football matches that are allegedly rigged and tips a contact named "Mike" that he has players working for him.
Expressen can now show how the communication looked around a qualifying match in the Swedish Cup in 2020 between Assyriska BK and Allsvenskan Mjällby. Assyriska BK was then playing in Division 2 Västra Götaland and lost the match 5-0.
Chat During the Suspected Swedish Cup Match
A few hours before the match, the man writes that Mjällby's match is interesting but that there "seem to be too few guys" in Assyriska BK willing to participate, and he says he does not dare to promise that the game is safe.
Later, he says he will bet on the match and that Assyriska BK will lose by several goals.
In the chat, Mike asks: "What should I bet?"
The man replies: "-3.5", meaning Assyriska should lose by at least four goals.
Mike: "Ok"
The man: "-4.5 will also work"
The two chat during the match where Mjällby scores two quick goals in the 19th and 23rd minutes. The man refers to Assyriska BK and states that "They were supposed to start working after minute 25."
Mike later asks: "How many guys do you have working?"
The man replies: "More than half"
Mike: "Then it will work"
Mike also asks if a specific player significant to the match's outcome is participating. The man replies: "Yes"
Towards the end of the match, both want Mjällby to score even more goals to increase their winnings. Mike expresses: "I'm just afraid Mjällby doesn't want to score more" and says "The ice must be broken."
The man then replies: "I'm not worried about this one at all" but later expresses concern that "There are 3-4 who aren't working... are they going to screw us."
After the match ends 5-0, the man, who both won and lost by betting on Assyriska BK to lose heavily, states: "This is crazy. How is it even possible? We still profit."
Former Police Chief: "This is How It Works"
Fredrik Gårdare, former head of the police's Sports Action Group, is well aware of the chats. When the police seized the mobile phone, his group was assigned the case.
– For an outsider, you get a very good insight into these chats. For us who worked at the Sports Action Group, this was nothing new. This aligns well with our situation at the time, he says.
In the seized mobile phone, in addition to the Swedish Cup match, there is communication about several matches both abroad and at lower levels in Sweden.
– This is how it works. There are criminal networks that have significant power over both players and coaches, and over clubs in several parts of the Swedish league system. Sometimes you have to ask: Are these criminal networks' own football teams? To gain a place in football but also to make money from match manipulations and player trades, says Gårdare.
But there are no charges of match-fixing in the money laundering investigation conducted by the Economic Crime Authority, neither regarding the Swedish Cup match nor other matches.
"We have focused on the bigger picture of gambling activities linked to what we at the Economic Crime Authority are responsible for – serious accounting offenses. So you could say that this match-fixing has only been a part of something we investigated as a business activity within, among other things, gambling. And we have only focused on our suspect XXX in that regard," writes prosecutor Daniel Larson in an email to Expressen.
The Sports Action Group was assigned the case when the mobile phone was seized and initiated an investigation, but when the police redirected the group's efforts towards gang-related crime, this case was deprioritized. Fredrik Gårdare, who no longer works within the police, has not given up on the case about the chats.
– My hope is still that this will be investigated. It is a significant threat to Swedish sports and the people who are exploited because they, for example, may have a gambling addiction. It is very serious, and what I see as extra serious is that it happens within a sport that welcomes many children and young people. We should not have criminal forces where there are children and young people who risk being exploited.
How far could you have taken this if you had been able to continue?
– We would have come very far in combating the networks that had ongoing serious organized crime and made criminal profits. Additionally, we worked closely with Swedish sports and football and got an even better mapping of vulnerability. You could say it would have been a very comprehensive investigative effort that would likely have caused significant damage to these current networks.
Assyriska BK is, five years after the match was played, open to cooperating in an investigation.
"The information about a possible match-fixing from 2020 between Assyriska BK and Mjällby AIF is new to the club. We are, of course, prepared to cooperate fully with both the police and the Swedish Football Association if needed. Should any irregularities have occurred, they have happened entirely outside the club's knowledge and control and go against everything Assyriska BK stands for and our values," writes the club's sports manager Kristoffer Zhaco in an email to Expressen.
Fotbollskanalen has reported that the Swedish Football Association is open to further investigations regarding the preliminary investigation and the chats.
– We will now thoroughly review the preliminary investigation to see what information we can use in our investigations regarding possible violations of the Sports Match-Fixing Regulations, says Johan Claesson, integrity officer at SvFF.
Update: In an earlier publication, the sender of messages in the conversation between the 40-year-old and "Mike" was mixed up. This has now been clarified.