Investigation launched into Granit Xhaka booking after huge bet placed

There are no suggestions the Arsenal player or his club did anything wrong

A yellow card picked up by Arsenal's Granit Xhaka during a game against Leeds is being investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) after a five-figure bet was placed on him to be booked. Xhaka was carded by referee Andre Marriner in the closing stages of his side's Premier League win at Elland Road last December for taking too long to take a free-kick.

FA investigated booking.

The FA conducted a six-month investigation into the incident and have now passed it on to the NCA, raising concerns over corruption and possible criminal activity. There has been no suggestion of wrongdoing by Arsenal, Xhaka, or any of his teammates. According to SportsMail, an unusually large bet of 'about £52,000' was placed during the match on Xhaka to be booked in the final ten minutes. In the 86th minute of the game, with Arsenal winning 4-1, Xhaka delays taking a free-kick just inside his own half before eventually receiving a yellow card.

Bet earned £250,000 payout.

The bet was placed on a betting exchange website, allowing users to place bets but also take them from other users. It reportedly earned a payout of close to £250,000.

Leading bookmakers reported it to the FA, highlighting that the bet was considerably more than the amount usually wagered on yellow card markets.

No investigations have been opened into Xhaka's conduct by the FA, but they have passed on all findings from their investigation to the NCA.

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