Czech police detain dozens in betting probe

PRAGUE, March 24 - Czech police have carried out raids and detained dozens of people related to corruption and fraudulent betting on soccer matches as part of a long-term investigation, the soccer association and prosecutors said on Tuesday.

Chief State Prosecutor Radim Dragoun said in a statement the probe extended across several locations in the Czech Republic and abroad with searches of homes, premises and land underway.

The Football Association of the Czech Republic said its ethics committee has launched 47 disciplinary proceedings, primarily for suspicion of bribery and match-fixing involving clubs, officials, referees and players.

The list from the ethics committee includes top-tier club Karvina and second-tier Opava.

Neither gave any immediate comment.

The case comes six years after police raided the FA'S headquarters and other locations around the country and charged 20 people with corruption.

Czech football officials said nobody from the association's leadership was targeted in the investigation which they said mainly involved betting.

"From our perspective, the investigation was long and successful," the association's integrity officer Kamil Javurek told a news conference.

"We saw several reports of suspicious matches on social media. However, it made no sense to jump to one match, but to approach the whole thing systematically in order to remove this problem from the Czech environment." REUTERS