Sports chiefs in Whitehall talks on match-fixing

Sports chiefs were summoned to a Whitehall summit on match-fixing today amid fears that a major scandal could overshadow the London 2012 legacy.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller ordered the meeting after Blackburn striker DJ Campbell and five other people were arrested as part of an investigation into spot-fixing in football.

Senior executives from the governing bodies of football, tennis, cricket, rugby union and rugby league will attend the meeting along with representatives from the Premier League, the Football League, the Gambling Commission and the British Horse-Racing Authority. They were expected to discuss best practice and any reforms or new laws that might be needed.

Spot-fixing is where a player agrees to influence a specific element of a match, such as trying to get sent off. Making match-fixing or spot-fixing a criminal offence, rather than police having to use fraud or other related charges, is likely to be explored at the Whitehall meeting. “We want to make sure no stone is left unturned in the fight against match-fixing in sport,” said a government source.

Another official raised concerns with the BBC that a large-scale match-fixing furore could blight the Olympic legacy. Ministers will push for sports to share any intelligence they have on fixing with the Gambling Commission.

Campbell, 32, was one of six people held in an investigation by the National Crime Agency after it acted on information passed to it by The Sun on Sunday newspaper. Five people, including Campbell, have been bailed until April, and a sixth is still being questioned.

Detectives are thought likely to review a yellow card Campbell received for a tackle in Blackburn’s league game against Ipswich last Tuesday.

According to the Sun on Sunday, an investigator met former Portsmouth player Sam Sodje, who allegedly said he could arrange for footballers in the Championship to get yellow card or he could rig Premier League games.