Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka is being investigated for match-fixing following a yellow card he received against Leeds United last season.
The Switzerland midfielder received a booking with minutes of the game remaining for delaying the taking of a free kick in a game his side won 4-1 and the Daily Mail reports that an investigation into the incident has been referred to the National Crime Agency.
With under ten minutes of the game remaining and Arsenal about to go 4-1 up through Emile Smith Rowe, an unusually large bet of £52,000 was placed on Xhaka to pick up a caution. Indeed, referee Andre Marriner would book the midfielder for time-wasting in the 86th minute. The person who placed the bet received a payout of roughly £250,000.
Granit Xhaka’s mysterious booking in Arsenal’s win at Leeds last season is being investigated by the National Crime Agency amid suspicions of a major betting scandal. There has never been any suggestion of any wrongdoing by Xhaka or any other Arsenal player. [Mail] #afc pic.twitter.com/u6pd5RykGd
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) June 17, 2022
According to the reports, the vast sums of money involved in these wagers – which were placed on a betting exchange – alerted the FA, as well as the fact that Xhaka’s odds of being booked strangely spiked in the final 10 minutes of the match.
