The National Crime Agency is looking into Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka's yellow card in the team's win against Leeds last season, amid allegations of a massive betting fraud.
The FA undertook a six-month investigation and forwarded the case to the country's top organised crime agency, indicating severe concerns about suspected criminality and corruption.
After being alerted to questionable betting patterns linked to a yellow card issued to Xhaka near the end of Arsenal's 4-1 win at Elland Road on December 18, the FA launched an investigation.
An unusually big bet of almost £52,000 put throughout the match on Xhaka being booked in the final 10 minutes despite Arsenal winning 4-1 raised the alarm.
Referee Andre Marriner punished the Switzerland midfielder for time wasting in the 86th minute when he delayed taking a free kick.
Xhaka is shown on video hanging over the ball for approximately 20 seconds deep in his own half, with no apparent inclination to take the free-kick before being booked.
The suspicious bet was put on a betting exchange, according to Mail Online, a website that allows users to place bets as well as accept them from other users, and it was reported shortly after that the gamble paid out roughly £250,000.
According to the story, it was reported to the FA because of the significant volume of money involved, and numerous industry sources informed Sportsmail that it was far more than what is routinely wagered on yellow cards.
Another strange part of the occurrence was the fact that
that the odds for Xhaka getting booked on the betting exchange were higher in the final 10 minutes than they were before kick-off, raising worries about integrity.
The FA has not launched an inquiry into Xhaka's actions, but it is understood that the information acquired has been passed on to the National Crime Agency.
Last season, the 29-year-old had a bad disciplinary record for Arsenal, having been booked ten times and sent off twice. In more than a quarter of his outings for the club, Xhaka has been booked or sent off.