Seven people have been arrested in Norway on suspicion of match-fixing, including several players from Eliteserien, the country's top football league. The arrests took place last Wednesday, February 25, as part of an investigation into aggravated corruption and fraud related to betting on football matches. Prosecutor Sahd Iqbal confirmed to broadcaster NRK that, in addition to the arrests, police conducted searches at various addresses, resulting in the seizure of relevant materials for the case. One of the detainees was brought to court for the application of coercive measures and has been placed in preventive detention. "The case is in its early stages, and there are still many investigative steps to be taken. The investigation is ongoing and is a high priority," Iqbal stated. Karl-Petter Loken, Secretary General of the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), described the situation as "incredibly regrettable for everyone involved and for all of Norwegian football," emphasizing the importance of allowing the police to do their work and reminding that, for now, no one has been convicted. Loken reinforced the federation's "zero tolerance" policy regarding betting on matches in which the athletes themselves are involved. "It is particularly serious when players are allegedly involved in the direct manipulation of bets, even if it does not involve manipulating the final outcome of the game. Generally, match-fixing is one of the greatest threats to sports," he declared. The NFF's independent prosecution committee has not yet opened a case but acknowledged that it will evaluate that possibility later. Meanwhile, the General Director of Norsk Toppfotball, Jens Haugland, limited himself to a brief statement: "We are aware of the case, but we will not make further comments. We defer to the police investigation." The defense attorneys appointed in the case, Jonas Berge and Usama Ahmad, were contacted by NRK but declined to comment on the case at this stage. The president of the federation, Lise Klaveness, also refrained from making statements when the news broke. No names or clubs have been disclosed, and at the time of the arrests, Bodo/Glimt, the sensation of Norwegian Champions League and the next opponent of Sporting, was returning from Milan after facing Inter.
Norwegian Football Seven Arrested remains central to this story.
Norwegian Football Seven Arrested remains central to this story.
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