Fashanu denies match-fixing claims

TV personality and ex-soccer star John Fashanu today denied allegations that he fixed football matches.

The News of the World said its undercover journalists gave the former Wimbledon and Aston Villa footballer a £5,000 "deposit" towards rigging a match.

But asked if he had fixed any matches, Fashanu told BBC Radio Five Live: "No, none at all, no."

He said he had agreed to the meetings because he wanted to find out if the people who had approached him were journalists or from "the Mafia".

Fashanu said he accepted the £5,000 - but took the cash straight to the police.

The former player said he had met "three Indian gentlemen who knew nothing at all about football" but had wanted to discuss with him taking a team of stars to the Middle East.

At a second meeting, however, the men started talking about fixing matches, he said.

Fashanu, 41, said the men had told him not to mention the meetings to his manager until after money changed hands.

But he insisted that he had kept his manager informed and had met the men with his legal adviser - who he introduced as his "wife" - present.

"As soon as money changed hands, I went straight to the police station, gave it all to the police ... did a full statement. That was the same day as they gave me the money and in the evening they were still calling me, wanting to meet me."

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