Czech police want 21 indicted in match-fixing case

• Czech police ask a prosecutor to indict 21 people and a company in match-fixing case.
• Police detained 19 people over the case in October 2020, including former football official Roman Berbr.
• Local media say Berbr had long been pulling the strings in Czech football.

Czech police said Thursday they had asked a prosecutor to indict 21 people and a company in a match-fixing case involving lower-tier football competitions.

“The criminal proceedings involve the crimes of ‘bribery’, ‘accepting a bribe’, ’embezzlement’ and ‘participation in an organised crime group’,” police said in a tweet.

They added one suspect faced up to 12 years in prison and three others up to 10 years, and that none of the suspects was in custody, but they did not give any names.

Read More: Czech FA will not penalise players who remove their shirts in celebration

Police detained 19 people over the case in October 2020, including Roman Berbr, who was the deputy head of the Czech Football Association (FACR) since 2013.

Local media said Berbr, a former referee who had stepped down from the post after being detained, had long been pulling the strings in Czech football.

Media have made allegations over him in relation to corruption cases and bullying at the FACR, but he has never been charged.

Last year, a Prague court sentenced Miroslav Pelta, the FACR head in 2011-2017, to six years in prison for manipulating sports subsidies.

Read More: US boycotts Russia football games over Ukraine invasion