Four of those arrested are French national pétanque players and are suspected of being involved in a match-fixing incident in 2025, during one of the sport's most prestigious competitions, the Masters de Pétanque.
Among the suspects is a player who is currently ranked among the world's top pétanque players, as well as an older veteran with many World Championship gold medals to his name.
Their team was the clear favourite heading into the quarter-finals. Despite that, it unexpectedly went out after a clear 13-4 loss to a local team.
Before the match, bets worth around 61,000 euros, equivalent to approximately 675,000 kronor, had been placed on the team losing through two French betting companies.
All nine people arrested are suspected of fraud, match-fixing and money laundering.
