Europe's Sherlock Holmes for the fight against the betting mafia in football: Peter Limacher© Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images

He speaks slowly and chooses his words carefully, like a diplomat. Peter Limacher, Europe’s Sherlock Holmes in the battle against the soccer betting mafia, is a sophisticated man. It is the end of June, and far away, in South Africa, the best national teams of the world are going head to head. But right now, the chief of the UEFA disciplinary committee is worried about another match. He has brought his “best man” - a new young colleague by the name of Robin Boksic - with him to the Swiss city of Nyon to meet with stern and discuss a matter of great sensitivity. A bombshell.

Boksic talks, Limacher nods. The story revolves around the UEFA Cup Semi-Finals Return Game that took place in May 2008 – a 4-0 loss for the German team FC Bayern Munich to Zenit St. Petersburg. In truth, says the young UEFA-ambassador in Café Rapp in Nyon, Bayern Munich was bribed and threw the game. Limacher doesn’t contradict him. Boksic goes on to say that the Russian mafia paid millions of dollars, and there are receipts for eight-figure deposits made to a Bavarian bank account at the private bank Reuschel.

A small public prosecutor’s office just outside of Munich was already investigating the case, he said. The homes of Bayern President Uli Hoeness, treasurer Karl Hopfner and one of the players had been searched. In the player’s home they had found a million dollars and cocaine. Limacher promises to get the documents as proof for stern, he just needs a couple of weeks. Come September, they say, the UEFA disciplinary commission will be pressing charges against Bayern Munich.

"Out of thin air"

The charges are unbelievable, but they are being made by the right people. If they are true, FC Bayern Munich’s reputation would be ruined. Germany’s top soccer club – bought off? A club that is more than proud of its bulging bank accounts?

The club has been feeling the debt burden of the expensive Allianz-Arena and it paid 70 million Euros for its players in 2007. Still, it has a better credit line than any other professional soccer club in the world.

Weeks later, FC Bayern Munich denies the accusations, claiming they came “out of thin air” and says it will take legal steps.

The club says it will defend its honor.

This is not the first time Peter Limacher, 47, has raised a global ruckus. In November 2009, he held a press conference, together with public prosecutors from Bochum, to inform the public about the “largest betting scam in Europe”. They assumed that 200 games had been fixed, thirty-two of them in Germany. Seventeen arrest warrants had been issued.

“We are shocked at the extent of the match fixing by international groups,” Limacher said on November 20th.