Footballer Sam Sodje’s family has reacted over
reports in the media that the Nigerian was arrested
over match-fixing allegations in the UK on Sunday.
The former Portsmouth defender was secretly
filmed by an undercover reporter for The Sun on
Sunday, describing how he was paid £70,000 to
get a red card in a League One game.
The incident occurred in February during a match
between Portsmouth and Oldham, when Sodje was
sent off for punching Oldham’s Jose Baxter twice
in the groin.
The National Crime Agency in England is already
looking into video evidences supplied by The Sun
on Sunday that Sodje said he could arrange for
footballers in the Championship to get themselves
booked during matches, in return for money.
The NCA said, “We can confirm that The Sun on
Sunday has passed material from its own
investigation to the NCA.
“An active NCA investigation is now under way and
we are working closely with the Football
Association and the Gambling Commission. Six
people are in custody and are being questioned by
NCA officers. We cannot comment further at this
stage.”
Blackburn Rovers striker DJ Campbell and Sodje’s
brothers Akpo and Steven alongside Ian Goodison
and Cristian Montano are the other people
allegedly arrested by the police in connection with
the match-fixing scandal.
But the Sodje family denied the story, saying the
former Reading defender was not arrested.
The statement titled ‘Re: Sam Sodje match-fixing
claim’ read, “The true story so far is that there is
an allegation of match fixing against Sam Sodje. An
undercover reporter of The Sun newspaper
contacted the police with this allegation.
“Sam was invited (by the police), he went with his
lawyer to the Southampton Police Station, where
he was interviewed and released. He was neither
arrested nor charged.
“However, police investigation of the issue is
ongoing. The family has decided against making
any further statement on this issue so as not to
interfere with the police investigation of the issue.”
In an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH in
September, Sodje had said that Baxter used foul
language against him during the encounter.
“I got sent off but he (Baxter) said something I
didn’t like and I didn’t take it well. That is football. I
won’t repeat it because he has seen me and
apologised but he said something that wasn’t
right.”
However, the 34-year-old was also filmed saying
that he had arranged for another player to be paid
£30,000 for getting a yellow card in a
Championship match.
The former Nigerian international reportedly
boasted that he could rig Premier League matches
for betting fraudsters and was prepared to fix
matches at next year’s World Cup. He claimed he
could set up a bet an entire week before a game
saying it was “easy.”
Sodje’s elder sibling, Efe, who also played for
Nigeria, told our correspondent that the issue
would be sorted out but refused to comment
further.
“For now, I don’t have any comment until
everything is sorted out. But we will provide you
with a statement tomorrow (Tuesday),” Efe said.