Suspicious betting pattern on Argentina match

Written on 6/4/11 : Fifa investigating Wednesday's match between Nigeria and Argentina after suspicious betting patterns report.
 
Online betting companies are believed to have again played a key role in flagging suspicious betting patterns in Wednesday's football clash between Nigeria and Argentina, according to press reports.
 
The suspicious patterns triggered a Fifa investigation into possible match fixing in the game, which ended with Nigeria claiming the win by 4 goals to 1.
 
Reports indicate that betting just before Argentina clinched a consolation goal in added time is the focus of the enquiry after there was a surge in gambling which seemed to predict the fifth goal.
 
Despite only five minutes awarded as stoppage time, referee Ibrahim Chaibou allowed play to continue till the 98th minute when a controversial handball decision led to Argentina pulling a goal back from the penalty spot through Mauro Boselli.
 
A Fifa spokesman said: "Fifa can confirm that this match between Nigeria and Argentina was one that we had an active interest in, and forms part of a wider ongoing Fifa investigation."
 
Sepp Blatter, Fifa president, has already signalled his intentions to clamp down on the ‘plague’ of match fixing.
 
Referee Chaiboi was in charge of a September 7 friendly between Bahrain and a Togo team, another game under Fifa investigation.