Bulgarian Court Convicts Three Men of Match Fixing

The court in Botevgrad convicted on Thursday three men of match fixing after it had been established that they tried  to bribe two players from Bulgaria's under-19 national football team to influence the outcome of a match.

The match in question was the encounter between Bulgaria and Germany during the 2014 European under-19 championship in Hungary.

Three days before the match scheduled to take place on 19 July 2014, in the town of Pravets, the three men tried to bribe the players, offering to pay EUR 10 000 each if the players concede three or more goals.

The players were in Pravets for participation in a training camp ahead of the championship.

Although the players refused to participate in the scheme, the thee men continued to convince them to do so.

They even provided them with a mobile phone which they should use in case they change their mind and accept the offer.

The players reported the attempted bribery to their coaches and the police. In order to prove that such a meeting had taken place, the authorities seized the recordings from surveillance cameras

The men have been sentenced to one-year imprisonment, which was postponed for a trial period of three years and a fine of BGN 1000 each.

The sentence is not final and is subject to appeal.