“I can give you a fixed score on occasion, but do not just bet as if you have the information, you know? We Kosovars say ‘all goes to hell if you gamble at random’,” Liridon Leci said when meeting with an undercover reporter posing as a businessman looking to rig a game.
Last year the classic second tier football club, Landskrona BoIS, was said to have tanked games. Suspicion arose when they lost four to null against rival Falkenberg and several other matches stood out with strange odds movement according to gambling companies. As a result Swedish state owned gambling company “Svenska spel” closed all gambling on games with Landskrona BoIS for the remainder of the season.
When meeting Liridon Leci on a Pristina street it is apparent that he is aware of the risks, but that does not stop him from giving the undercover reporter a rundown of how the games are rigged:
“It is risky. High risk. When I say that it's risky, I mean it, they are afraid nowadays. They are afraid. I have 2-3 friends in other clubs, I'm still working with them. I have some business with them. Actually, I have had good use of them,” said Liridon Leci.
After the allegations of matchfixing Landskrona BoIS suspended Liridon Leçi, who responded with threating to sue the club because they had “ruined his name”, and stated that he was “100 percent innocent”. But in front of a “businessman” asking to rig a game he does not hesitate to divulge information about his friends in Allsvenskan, the Swedish counterpart to Great Britain’s Premier League or Italy’s Serie A.
“They are in big clubs. One in Superettan and two in the Allsvenskan. I have done business with them. This year one did as promised”, said Liridon Leci.
During the meeting he speaks blatantly about his contacts in the second tier league Superettan and particularly Sweden's highest football league, Allsvenskan.
“Allsvenskan, brother, not Superettan. Imagine the 20-minute mark, it was two to null, it was meant to be 3 plus, in 20 minutes it was two to null,” said Liridon Leci.
On the recording Liridon Leci describes a contact in Sweden active in match fixing the plan to rig matches.
“He is a real scoundrel. He even speaks Albanian. He has his gun in the car and he is a known gambler,” said Liridon Leçi.
But when Uppdrag granskning calls Liridon Leci to ask about the recorded conversation he describes it as a joke.
“No I just, I don't remember I just… Many people ask me and I want to talking with him, you know, I joking. No, no, I don't remember,” said Liridon Leci.
“He was wearing a hidden camera and we recorded the conversation.”
“Not true because I just lie. I just joke with him. It's not true.”
“So you mean you were only joking?”
“Yes, I was hundred percent he was with camera. I want to hit... I want to, you know...because I know he was a ”spy”.”
“Why did you lie to him?”
“You know, I give information to him because I read in the news, in Aftonbladet [Swedish tabloid] before and with this I just give little bit information. I joke with him.”
“You told us in this recording that you’re working with two teams in Sweden in Allsvenskan?”
“I forgot which teams I say, I swear my baby, my life, I forgot which teams I say. I don't know which team I say, maybe I say... I don't know which team I say some names. I don't know which names I say, because I don't work with, with, I am not criminal you understand. I know myself and I never do what Landskrona say and what people say. Do you understand?”