A man aged in his 30s has been arrested after attempting to bribe a League of Ireland footballer in County Donegal.
The arrest was made yesterday in Galway, as detectives from the Anti-Bribery and Corruption Unit of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) have been investigating an incident that occurred before a League of Ireland football match on the opening day of the season.
A file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, after the man aged in his 30s was questioned and released by Gardaí.
The incident occurred in February, when according to the Irish Independent a player was approached by a man who asked to sign his jersey.
It was as the jersey was being signed, the man made the bribery offer to the player of a substantial sum of cash – asking him to get intentionally sent off in the upcoming fixture.
The player who was made the offer quickly reported the matter to club officials, and an official complaint was made to Gardaí in County Donegal according to the Independent.
However it is currently unknown exactly where the incident took place, or which two clubs were playing in the fixture.
When asked for comment by Donegal Daily, An Garda Síochana said the following in a statement:
“As part of an ongoing investigation into the attempted bribery of a professional League of Ireland football player during the current season, detectives from the Anti-Bribery and Corruption Unit of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) arrested a male in his 30s on Tuesday, 1st October 2024.”
“The individual was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at a Garda Station in the Western Region. He has since been released without charge and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.”
“The Anti-Bribery and Corruption Unit remains committed to safeguarding the integrity of sport in Ireland and continues to work closely with all relevant stakeholders.”
“An Garda Síochána continues to appeal to anyone with information regarding match-fixing or sports corruption to report it in confidence via the Bribery and Corruption Confidential Reporting line at 1800 40 60 80, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or at their local Garda Station.”
