MOSCOW — UEFA has reportedly informed Russian officials that it suspects that several domestic league games have been affected by match fixing this season.
Vremya Novostei on Wednesday cited a letter that it said UEFA sent to the Russian Football Union in September alleging suspect betting patterns on six matches.
The clubs involved allegedly include Krylya Sovietov, Terek Grozny, Spartak Nalchik, Tom Tomsk and Amkar Perm from the Premier League and four clubs from the first division.
RFU executive director Alexei Sorokin dismissed the correspondence as a routine affair, saying the suspect betting patterns are determined through an automatic analysis and therefore open to fault.
He said an investigation was under way nonetheless.
"This was not the first such letter from UEFA and nor, I think, the last. It's a routine case that already has become customary," he told RIA-Novosti.
The news agency cited representatives of Tom Tomsk and Spartak Nalchik as denying wrongdoing.
UEFA declined immediate comment.
One of the matches Vremya Novostei cited was a Terek-Krylya match played in the Chechen capital of Grozny in June.
The game, which Terek won 3-2, caused outrage when the Russian media reported that one individual staked $400,000 on a Terek win on the Betfair Internet betting exchange. Terek officials, including club and regional president Ramzan Kadyrov, have defended the team.
No action has been taken over the game despite raging debate in the blogosphere and in sports circles over its legitimacy.
Russian football has been riddled by accusations of fixing in its short, post-Soviet existence.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.