Former Crystal Palace players are due to appear in court today. Pic: Sbobet Bangkok

Five men accused of match fixing will appear in court today following a National Crime Agency investigation into an alleged illegal betting syndicate.

Former footballers Michael Boateng and Hakeem Adelakun, both 22 and from Croydon, have been accused of conspiring to defraud bookmakers by placing bets and therefore influencing the outcome of football matches. The alleged match-fixing is thought to have occurred in Manchester and elsewhere between November 1 and November 26, last year.

The pair will be appearing at Birmingham Crown Court for a plea hearing alongside the accused former Crystal Palace player, Moses Swaibu, 24 from Bermondsey, and two men originally from Singapore: Chann Sankaran, 33, and Krishna Sanjey Ganeshan, 43.

Boateng, of Davidson Road, Croydon, and Adelakun, of Mayfield Crescent, Thornton, were sacked by Conference South side Whitehawk FC when the allegations surfaced last December.