TIRANA, Albania (AP) -- The Albanian Football Federation has accused two soccer clubs of fixing UEFA qualifying matches earlier this year, the Prosecutor General Office reported Wednesday.
In matches played Aug. 14 in the first leg of the UEFA Cup's qualifying round, Albanian team Dinamo Tirana lost 4-0 to Lokeren of Belgium, and Albania's Vllaznia fell 2-0 to FC Dundee of Scotland. Both Albanian teams had been expected to fare better.
The federation claims club owners "sold" the match results in order to win large amounts of money in European sport lottos.
"The Prosecutor Office is verifying if the charges make up a criminal act according to the Albanian Penal Code," said spokeswoman Eva Londo.
Independent lawyers said corruption charges could be used in the case.
Mihal Delijorgji, president of Dinamo Tirana and owner of a sport lotto company in Albania, denied the charges and accused the federation of fixing Euro 2004 qualifying matches involving the national team, the Gazeta Shqiptare newspaper reported Wednesday.
UEFA said it was opening a disciplinary investigation based on media reports. It asked the Albanian Federation to send it a statement, said a UEFA spokesman who declined to be identified.
In matches played Aug. 14 in the first leg of the UEFA Cup's qualifying round, Albanian team Dinamo Tirana lost 4-0 to Lokeren of Belgium, and Albania's Vllaznia fell 2-0 to FC Dundee of Scotland. Both Albanian teams had been expected to fare better.
The federation claims club owners "sold" the match results in order to win large amounts of money in European sport lottos.
"The Prosecutor Office is verifying if the charges make up a criminal act according to the Albanian Penal Code," said spokeswoman Eva Londo.
Independent lawyers said corruption charges could be used in the case.
Mihal Delijorgji, president of Dinamo Tirana and owner of a sport lotto company in Albania, denied the charges and accused the federation of fixing Euro 2004 qualifying matches involving the national team, the Gazeta Shqiptare newspaper reported Wednesday.
UEFA said it was opening a disciplinary investigation based on media reports. It asked the Albanian Federation to send it a statement, said a UEFA spokesman who declined to be identified.