The Svea Court of Appeal in Stockholm has sentenced former Nigeria international Dickson Etuhu and an unnamed player for bribery, overturning a December 2018 decision to clear them of attempting to fix an 18 May 2017 match between AIK and IFK Gothenburg. The Stockholm District Court initially acquitted the two because it didn’t consider a conversation offering Kyriakos Stamatopoulos, the AIK goalkeeper, a bribe as concrete evidence constituting a crime punishable under law. 

‘The Court of Appeal decides that the football player’s information should b the basis of what was said between the men and him’, read a statement from the Svea Court of Appeal, referring to the fact that Stamatopoulos reported the approach, causing the Swedish football association (SvFF) to postpone the match. ‘The content of what the men conveyed to the player was so clear that it should be regarded as a criminal offence of bribery’, continued the statement, adding that the amount of money offered was ‘significant’.

In a statement, AIK said that Stamatopoulos had ‘acted admirably’, adding that it hoped the outcome would encourage others who found themselves in similar situations to come forward. “It’s nice that the trial is over and with today’s announcement, I hope to put this behind me”, said Stamatopoulos in the statement. However, it is understood that Etuhu will be appealing the decision.