Football: Six Preston players arrested in fixing probe

LONDON (AFP) - Preston North End on Friday revealed their disappointment after six of the League One club's players were named as having been arrested in connection with alleged spot-fixing.

The players named in a number of British media reports are club captain John Welsh, who was a pall-bearer at Preston legend Tom Finney's funeral last month, Keith Keane, Bailey Wright, David Buchanan, Ben Davies and Graham Cummins.

All of the Preston players have been released on bail and are available for selection for Saturday's third tier match at Bristol City.

Barnsley midfielder Stephen Dawson was also arrested and bailed, according to the reports.

Preston said in a statement: "We are disappointed that individual player names are in the public domain, given that none of these individuals have been charged with any offence.

"Having had time to meet with all the individuals concerned, we reiterate our position that all players will remain available for selection by the manager and that until or unless the current situation changes it will be business as usual." In a statement, Barnsley said they had no comment beyond being "aware of reports in the media in connection with an investigation into individuals suspected of conspiracy to commit acts of bribery and money-laundering relating to conduct during football matches".

The National Crime Agency on Thursday confirmed that seven players had been arrested, and a further six re-arrested, as part of an investigation into alleged bribery and money-laundering.

Blackburn striker DJ Campbell, currently on loan at Millwall, had been bailed to return on April 8 after being arrested in December.

Spot-fixing usually involves a player influencing a specific element of a match, for example by intentionally getting a yellow card or conceding a corner, without trying to fix the final score.

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