FRANKFURT: Even club friendly matches are no longer safe from fear of the fix after concerns over Stuttgart’s winter break game against Albania’s KF Laci last Monday.

Stuttgart won 5-0 in Portugal after going ahead in the first half through Vedad Ibisevic after a silly mistake by by the Laci goalkeeper. The German club ran away with the match after the break.

Monitor company Sportradar reported unusual betting patterns.

Andreas Rettig, managing director of the Bundesliga, said later that the club, the German football association and the public prosecutor had been informed.

Rettig added: “There is no suspicion against Stuttgart. Quite the opposite.

“Should the manipulation suspicion be confirmed then it would be Stuttgart that were damaged for having played a friendly game under irregular competition conditions.”

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