17 football matches in Germany allegedly manipulated

Seventeen football matches in Germany are under suspicion of manipulation, the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper reported on Friday, said dpa.

According to the report, matches in the third, fourth and fifth divisions have been manipulated in the past two years for the purpose of betting fraud.

The newspaper said that the German Football Federation (DFB) is aware of the allegations and is taking the matter "very seriously."

In some of the games in question, there were allegedly conspicuous mistakes by the referees and serious errors by goalkeepers and defenders.

Information about the expected match results for the 17 games were reportedly on the darknet, which may have enabled high betting profits. Corresponding chat histories are said to prove the criminal deals.

The DFB, however, doubts that football matches can be manipulated to achieve an exact result.

It's unclear which matches were exactly affected as details were not disclosed due to ongoing investigations.