Football: Sweden postpones Gothenburg v AIK game after match-fixing attempt

An AIK player was reportedly offered money to throw the match against arch-rivals Gothenburg, forcing the fixture to be postponed. The Swedish football association has yet to announce the new date with investigations underway. PHOTO: EPA

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - The Swedish Football Federation postponed Thursday's top-flight game between Gothenburg and AIK following a match-fixing attempt.

"This is a very serious attack against Swedish football and we will never, never accept this," Hakan Sjostrand, secretary-general of the federation, said in a statement.

One of AIK's players had been offered "a large sum of money" in exchange for trying to ensure that the team lose the game against rivals Gothenburg, the statement said.

"With veiled threats, the fixer demanded that the player perform badly during the match against IFK Gothenburg," it added.

The football federation found out about the fixing incident on Wednesday and informed AIK, IFK Gothenburg and the police, who launched an investigation.

"The starting point for all of our games is that they're safe and conducted in a sporting manner," Sjostrand said.

"Based on the information we've received, we cannot guarantee that the IFK Gothenburg and AIK game is a safe match."

The two teams, along with the Swedish football association, are expected to agree on a new date for the match.

Several alleged match-fixing scandals have emerged in recent years in Sweden, with investigations not always resulting in a conclusion.

IFK Gothenburg are Sweden's second-most successful club and the only one to have won a European title (the Uefa Cup in 1982 and 1987).

However, they have had a difficult start to this season and are 11th in the championship after eight games. Stockholm-based AIK are in sixth place.

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