Casino Raid Exposed Ignored EPL Match-Fixing Evidence, says Ex-Cop

• Swedish police ignored key evidence of global match-fixing, ex-cop says.
• Premier League stars allegedly linked to spot-fixing.
• Confiscated phone holds explosive messages on rigged matches.

A 2021 raid on a Swedish underground casino turned up evidence of match-fixing in the upper echelons of world soccer. The discovery, which allegedly implicated several English Premier League players, may now be sitting on a confiscated cellphone, ignored and gathering dust in a police evidence room.

That’s according to Fredrik Gardarè, the former head of a specialized Swedish unit targeting sports corruption. Gardarè told The Daily Mail this week that he led an investigation into the underground gambling operation, which involved a criminal gang suspected of organizing match fixing.

‘Clearcut Case’

Officers seized several mobile phones in the raid, including one that belonged to a suspected fixer. The device contained Telegram messages discussing spot-fixing – the manipulation of yellow cards, corners, and other in‑game events – in relation to top-flight soccer games across Europe and international contests such as the Nations League

There was more than one Premier League player (mentioned on the phone),” Gardarè said. “…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.”

Despite the claims, the Stockholm police and the Swedish police authority decided not to pursue charges, and Gardarès’ unit was disbanded shortly afterward.

“It was very high priority from my side, I set my whole team on this investigation,” he told the Mail. “But at the same time, the police said, ‘We are finished with this’ in December that year.”

Lost Opportunity

According to Gardarè, intelligence gathered from the raid was passed to the Swedish Football Association (SvFF). He said he hoped the governing body had informed the English Football Association (FA) but admitted that he didn’t know.

The SvFF confirmed receiving information from police in 2021 but said it lacked details that would allow action.

The Swedish police, national authority and the Premier League declined to comment when approached by the Mail. The English FA has said it has not received the investigation’s findings but would assess them if they became available.