Match-fixing investigation: Four men in court

The National Crime Agency is investigating fixing claims

Four men, including two non-league footballers, have appeared in court on match-fixing charges.

Former Whitehawk FC players Michael Boateng and Hakeem Adelakun, both 22, and Chann Sankaran, 33, and Krishna Sanjey Ganeshan, 43, from Singapore are accused of conspiring to defraud bookmakers .

The men appeared at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Friday.

They will enter pleas on 7 March, with a provisional trial set for 19 May.

The men were arrested as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into an alleged international betting syndicate.

They are suspected of conspiring to influence the course of football matches in Manchester and elsewhere between 1 November and 26 November this year.

Mr Boateng and Mr Adelkun, who have now been sacked by the Brighton-based club, which plays in the Conference South division, were charged on 5 November and have been granted unconditional bail.

Mr Sankaran, who has dual UK-Singapore nationality and lives in Hastings, East Sussex, and Mr Ganeshan, who lives in Singapore, were also charged last month but remain in custody.

The case is expected to take up to four weeks to hear.