Investigators have cleared Arsenal player Granit Xhaka of any involvement in a potential match-fixing case. The National Crime Agency (NCA), UK Gambling Commission, and the English Football Association (FA) investigated a yellow card the midfielder received during a game against Leeds United in December 2021.
Xhaka delayed taking a free kick for an extensive amount of time
The now-30-year-old soccer player received a yellow card for time wasting in the 86th minute of the English Premier League game. Xhaka delayed taking a free kick for an extensive amount of time although his team was three goals up and had little reason to time waste.
Suspicious betting patterns around the yellow card triggered concerns about potential match-fixing. Someone placed a bet worth £52,000 ($64,718) on the Swiss international receiving a yellow card in the last ten minutes of the fixture.
Some reports in the press suggested that an Albanian organized crime group was involved in the matter as a significant portion of the suspicious betting took place in Albania. The wagers were placed using cryptocurrency and through unregulated sportsbooks.
The FA first looked into the matter before passing the case to the NCA. The lack of evidence meant that the NCA has now closed its investigation.