Eight referees of Georgia's soccer league have been arrested in connection with alleged match fixing.
Georgia's Interior Ministry said in a statement issued on September 24, that the alleged scheme involved so-called spot betting in which odds are offered to number of yellow and red cards, as well as on penalties or other incidents during the match.
Eight referees, among them a FIFA referee qualified to officiate at international level, are accused of taking cash ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 in exchange for securing a certain number of bookings in matches they were officiating.
The Interior Ministry said that investigation is ongoing as some other referees are also suspected of being involved in the scam.