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BBC

The trial of four men accused of fixing 32 football matches in several European countries has begun in Germany.

If found guilty they could be jailed for up to 10 years.

Several other men are expected to be charged in what has been called the biggest fraud scandal ever in European football.

In total, nearly 300 matches in 15 European countries are alleged to have been affected.

The four men who appeared in court in the western city of Bochum have been in custody since November 2009, when German police made a total of 15 arrests.

They are accused of having bribed referees and players to throw matches.

Officers had been eavesdropping for several months on telephone conversations in which the suspects had allegedly been discussing the games they were going to fix and the money they would make by betting on the results.