"There is clear and overwhelming betting evidence that the course or result of this match was unduly influenced with a view to gaining corrupt betting profits. The betting evidence ultimately indicates that bettors held prior knowledge of Athlone Town suffering a minimum two-goal defeat, in a match which contained at least two first-half goals and at least four in total."Six-figure sums are believed to have been wagered on the game on Asian betting markets, far exceeding the normal amounts wagered on an Irish First Division clash. Longford Town are not under investigation.
Francesco Baranca, general secretary of anti match-fixing Federbet, told the Irish Sun this week: "We were sure something was wrong according to our algorithm. The evidence there was more than enough. I’m talking about numbers, which are clear. We monitored the odds and it was crazy. I have no doubt that this match was fixed, according to those numbers. For the odds to change that much, it requires significant amounts of money to be placed."
Athlone Town have said it "absolutely abhors match fixing and would never knowingly get involved in such unacceptable activity. The club will be fully co-operating with those conducting the investigation, and look forward to meeting with FAI officials next week. Should any of the allegations be upheld the club will take action against any wrongdoers."
