Nine countries and about 200 matches are being investigated over illegal gambling by the Bochum authorities.

Only in Germany, 32 matches are considered suspcious by investigators, in what UEFA called the biggest match-fixing scandal in Europe. It was known that matches from the Champions League are incriminated.

According to the German police, there could be 200 suspects, and the number of fixed matches would reach many dozens. The police believes that the criminals would have obtained 10 million euros from the fraud.

Among the games believed to have been fixed are the Champions League matches and 12 Europa League games, all played this year. UEFA, Europe’s governing body of football, said they were all early qualifying round games. A qualifying match for the Under-21 European Championship is also under suspicion.

The suspected games in Germany were played in the second-division or lower. Other countries involved are Belgium, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, Hungary, Bosnia and Austria.

“The accused are suspected of bribing players, coaches, referees and officials from high-ranking European football leagues in order to manipulate the results of games,” said a statement from prosecutors in the western city of Bochum.

The prosecutor’s office in Bochum is Germany’s leading authority on fighting corruption and fraud.

The Berliner Morgenpost reported Thursday that Ante Sapina and his brother Milan were among five people arrested in Berlin.

Ante Sapina was convicted of fraud in 2005 and sentenced to 35 months in prison for fixing or attempting to fix 23 games by paying German referee Robert Hoyzer to rig matches Sapina and his brothers bet on. Ante Sapina’s brothers Milan and Filip were given suspended sentences.

Hoyzer was convicted of fraud and sentenced to 29 months in prison after admitting he had manipulated games mostly in German lower divisions on behalf of the three brothers, who made millions by betting on the games.

Uefa boss Michel Platini has previously described illegal betting and match-fixing as the greatest problem facing European football, and his organisation have taken steps to implement an early warning system in an attempt to stop corruption.

In a statement, Gianni Infantino, Uefa general secretary, said: “Uefa will be demanding the harshest of sanctions before the competent courts for any individuals, clubs or officials who are implicated in this malpractice, be it under state or sports jurisdiction.”