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FOOTBALL

Swedish striker among three jailed for match-fixing in Norway

A Swedish former striker is among three people handed a prison sentence for match-fixing by a Norwegian appeals court on Wednesday.

Swedish striker among three jailed for match-fixing in Norway
File photo of a football not related to the story. Photo: Jan Olav Nesvold/NTB Scanpix

The case, which investigated two third division teams from Norway, involved two former football players and one punter.

It dates back to two matches in June, 2012. In the first game, Follo FK lost 4-3 to Østsiden having led 3-0 with just 25 minutes to go. In the second game, Asker lost 7-1 to Frigg Oslo despite being favourites to win.

Following a complaint from the Norwegian Football Association, police investigated a series of major bets placed on the two matches.

An Oslo appeals court sentenced Albania-born Drin Shala, the former Follo goalkeeper, and Alban Shipshani, a Swedish former striker for Asker, to 14 months in prison for aggravated corruption and fraud.

The sentence is heavier than an initial eight-month sanction handed down by a lower court in April 2015.

Swedish punter Luptjo Korunovski was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for the same offences: a year more than the lower court's initial verdict.

The judges also ordered the confiscation of Korunovski's winnings totaling 340,000 Norwegian kroner ($40,000).

The Oslo appeals court acquitted four other people, including a former Follo player convicted in 2015.