A League of Ireland footballer who immediately alerted Gardaí after he was allegedly offered a bribe has been praised by football authorities.
Gardaí say they are investigating an “alleged bribery incident” relating to a recent League of Ireland fixture.
Officers carried out searches in Dublin yesterday and seized several “items of evidential value”.
It comes after a League of Ireland player was “allegedly approached and immediately rejected” an offer to participate in spot fixing.
Spot fixing involves fixing a specific part of a game that is unrelated to the final result but can be subject to betting – such as timing the first throw in or corner in a match.
Integrity
In a statement, the FAI praised the player for immediately alerting Gardaí to the approach.
"The League of Ireland can confirm it is aware of an An Garda Síochána operation involving a member of the public after a player in the League of Ireland was allegedly approached and immediately rejected an offer to participate in spot fixing,” it said.
“We would like to thank and praise the player who immediately reported the incident in accordance with the integrity workshops delivered by the FAI to every team in advance of the each season,” it said.
Spot fixing
Meanwhile, the Professional Footballers’ Association of Ireland (PFAI) said the player immediately reported the approach to Gardaí, the FAI and the PFAI.
“There is no concern related to his involvement in any spot fixing or match fixing and we commend him on his actions in this regard,” it said.
“His response in this situation and the actions he took were exactly as we recommend to players.”
The PFAI said it has carried out “extensive work” with players to educate them on the dangers of spot fixing.
“Unfortunately, spot fixing and match fixing are a problem in sport globally,” it said.
“We must take all necessary actions to ensure they are not a problem in our league and we encourage all players to report any approach related to spot fixing or match fixing.”
No arrests have been made but Gardaí say they are carrying out a “live criminal investigation”.
