Europol probing 380 matches

The European police agency has revealed that a wide-ranging investigation into match fixing has uncovered more than 380 suspicious matches.

These games include Word Cup and European Championship qualifiers and two UEFA Champions League games.

Europol's chief Rob Wainwright said the investigation uncovered "match fixing activity on a scale we have not seen before."

Wainwright revealed the probe uncovered around £7million in betting profits and £1.27m in bribes to players and officials and has already led to several prosecutions.

The investigation identified about 425 corrupt officials, players and serious criminals in 15 countries.

Wainwright also stated that the involvement of organised crime "highlights a big problem for the integrity of football in Europe".

It was not immediately clear how many of the matches mentioned have been revealed in previous match fixing investigations at a national level in countries including Germany and Italy.




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Song keen on Arsenal reunion

Alex Song would welcome a return to Arsenal when the round of 16 draw is made in Nyon on Thursday.



The Spanish giants are one of six teams Arsene Wenger's group runners-up could face, alongside Paris St Germain, Malaga, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Bayern Munich.



Song swapped the Emirates Stadium for the Nou Camp when he joined the Arsenal exodus during the summer and expects only one outcome if they meet for a place in the quarter-finals.



"Of course I would like to play against Arsenal. For me to go back there, where I had seven magnificent years, would be something very special," the 25-year-old said.



"If we draw Arsenal I'd be happy to see the fans again and go back to the club, even though if we go there it will be to get the best result possible.



"Arsenal's a big club, but Barcelona's a level above because of the talent of the players there.



"That's no disrespect to Arsenal because they have talented players, but I think the Barcelona players are above them. I saw a lot of people come and a lot of people go at Arsenal."



Song's desire will not be shared by the Gunners, who will be desperate to avoid a team that has been hailed by some as the greatest of all time.



Having finished second in Group B, the possibilities facing Arsenal are alarming and Wenger will also be anxious to evade last year's beaten finalists Bayern Munich and Serie A leaders Juventus.



Manchester United are the second Barclays Premier League side to make it through to the knockout stages after defending champions Chelsea and Manchester City failed to progress.



Real Madrid may be trailing Primera Division leaders Barcelona by 13 points but they are still the team Sir Alex Ferguson will want to avoid most, knowing only Champions League glory can redeem Jose Mourinho.



Porto, AC Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk, Valencia and Celtic are the other possibilities, with the latter setting up a fascinating Battle of Britain contest.



Celtic defied all expectations to qualify as group runners-up behind Barcelona, in the process securing more points than any other Scottish team in the Champions League pool stages with 10.



Other than United, they could meet Malaga, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Schalke or PSG.



Barcelona are favourites to claim their fourth Champions League title since 2006, followed by Real and Bayern, and Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez expects one of the heavyweights to be crowned winners.



"Barcelona, Real Madrid, the English teams, Bayern Munich and Juventus are strong teams," said Benitez, winner of the competition with Liverpool in 2005.



"Obviously they're the big names and they'll be there again, it won't change too much.



"You can find a surprise in some seasons but because those teams are so strong, I don't see there being any surprises this year."



Chelsea are second favourites behind Atletico Madrid to win the Europa League, their reward for finishing third in their Champions League group.



They are joined in the round of 32 by Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle, although none of the Premier League rivals are able to face each other at this stage.



Atletico are a possibility for Chelsea and Liverpool, while big names such as Inter Milan, Napoli, Benfica and Ajax remain in the competition.

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Lucas Leiva eyes Champions League spot for Liverpool

Lucas Leiva believes Liverpool remain in contention for a Champions League place despite their relatively lowly position.



Despite remaining in the bottom half of the Premier League table following a poor start to the season, the reds are only seven points adrift of Chelsea in third spot and the Brazilian believes they can start to narrow the gap.



“It shows the Premier League is very tight at the moment,” he said. “The gap to third place is not too bad. If we had had a few more wins we would be closer but we can’t change that.



“We have a lot of games now and if we can get three or four wins in a row I think we will be very close to the top four.



“We just have to think to move on to get more points, especially in the crucial time which is coming.



“If we can turn draws into wins it will be even better but we have to keep believing as there are a lot of positive things at the moment.”



Having already played the Premier League’s top seven-placed clubs, their next six fixtures are against teams in he lower half of the table.



The return of Lucas in the midfield holding role following three months out with a thigh strain gives Liverpool greater strength in a key position allowing Steven Gerrard and Joe Allen to play more advanced roles.

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Beckham eyes Champions League tilt

David Beckham is still to confirm his next move, but a team who can offer him Champions League football would turn his head.

Former England international Beckham will bring the curtain down on his LA Galaxy career in Saturday's MLS Cup final - live on ESPN. Given his profile and standing in the game, even at 37 he has teams jockeying for position to sign him.

Beckham has a Champions League winner's medal in his trophy cabinet from Manchester United's win in 1999 and has dined at the top table with Real Madrid and AC Milan.

It is a tournament he would like one final crack at, as he said: "I always loved it when I went back to AC Milan being back in the Champions League.

"I still miss playing in it, they are the games you love playing in. Of course I'd want to play in it again.



"We'll see where I go next. If it's a team that's in the Champions League then it will be nice to be back."

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Arsenal want pay cuts for Champions League failure

Arsenal want players signing new contracts to agree deals that involve reduced payments if the club fail to qualify for the Champions League.



Arsenal have qualified for the Champions League in every one of Arsène Wenger's 16 years in charge. Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kieran Gibbs and Karl Jenkinson have or will soon be offered long-term deals.



An Arsenal spokesman said it was "normal practice" for players to have clauses that were linked to the club's success both domestically and in Europe.



"Each player has an individual contract that contains elements of performance-related payments, which are linked to a player's individual contribution and also to the club's progress in both domestic and European competitions," he said.

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