Dundee FC bosses are assisting police with a probe into gambling in sport after Dens Park star Paul McGowan was arrested.
The 35-year-old midfielder was detained by officers on Thursday morning, alongside former Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths. Both men were released without charge.
We revealed yesterday that ex-Dundee star Griffiths, 32, had been detained following a search of his £675,000 mansion in Bothwell, Lanarkshire at 7am. McGowan, who joined the Dark Blues from St Mirren in 2014, and a 37-year-old man were also arrested following raids in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, and Bonnyrigg, Midlothian.
Dundee FC issued a statement on the club website: "Dundee Football Club are aware of the ongoing Police Scotland investigation as reported in the media this morning. The club will support the authorities with their inquiries and will not be making any further statement at this time."
It's understood the investigation centres on suspicious betting patterns in a match between Dundee and Hearts last season, which saw McGowan and Griffiths, who were teammates at the time, both booked within four minutes of each other. Griffiths left the club the following month.
McGowan, who was born in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, began his career with Celtic and had loan spells with Greenock Morton, Hamilton Academical and St Mirren. He then joined St Mirren on a permanent deal and spent a further three years with the Paisley side before heading north.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Following a pre-planned police operation on Thursday, three men, aged 37, 35 and 32, were arrested in the Bothwell, Bonnyrigg and Airdrie areas in connection with an investigation into alleged gambling incidents in sport. All three men were released without charge pending further inquiries."
The Scottish Football Association was approached for comment. Griffiths became a fans favourite with the Tartan Army after scoring two free kicks against England in a 2-2 draw at Hampden in 2017. He earned 22 caps for Scotland between 2012 and 2020, and also played for Livingston, Dundee, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Hibernian and Falkirk.
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