OSLO (Norway), July 11: FIFA is investigating claims of spot-fixing in Premier League matches after former Southampton captain Claus Lundekvam said he and many others earned “lots of money” from the practice when the Norwegian played for the club in 1996-2008.

FIFA said in a brief statement that its chief investigator in England was involved in monitoring the case.

Lundekvam told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that several players and staff in the team bet hundreds of pounds on things like who would take the first throw-in, corner, or penalty.

“We used to bet on things we could easily influence,” he said. “Although we never influenced the result of a match, spot-fixing was accepted in those years in England at the end of the 90's and beginning of the 2000s.”

Lundekvam's claims were aired on Monday after he commented on match-fixing suspicions in the Norwegian first division, following the weekend cancellation of a local game by the national football association.—AP