Two businessmen, one player convicted over UK match-fixing plot

Two Asian businessmen and a lower-league player were convicted Tuesday of plotting to fix matches in the bottom tiers of English football.

A Birmingham Crown Court jury deliberated for more than 12 hours before finding Chann Sankaran and Krishna Ganeshan guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery. Both men are originally from Singapore.

Michael Boateng, a former defender for Whitehawk FC in the non-league Conference South division, was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery following the four-week trial.

The jurors cleared another player, Hakeem Adelakun, of the same charge. The jury was still considering a verdict for a third player, Moses Swaibu.

The three played for Brighton-based Whitehawk in the sixth tier of English football. They were arrested in December following an undercover operation by Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Sankaran, 33, and Ganeshan, 44, were described as central figures in efforts to fix matches in League Two and the Conference South divisions.