BERLIN, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Police arrested several people in Germany and abroad Thursday suspected of bribing soccer players and referees to fix matches in top European leagues, German prosecutors said.

    "The accused are suspected of bribing players, coaches, referees and officials from high-ranking European football leagues to manipulate the results of games," said a statement from prosecutors in the western city of Bochum.

    The investigations, carried out with the European soccer association UEFA, have been ongoing since the beginning of 2009.

    According to the Berliner Morgenpost daily, investigations have been launched into around 100 suspects involved in placing huge bets on allegedly fixed matches in the Turkish first flight.

    The Berliner Morgenpost cited one top investigator as saying the probe could result in "one of the biggest scandals in the history of professional football."

    The ring reportedly placed enormous bets with Asian bookmakers and Turkish international players were said to be involved in the fraud. The accused are primarily Kosovans, Spiegel TV reported.

    German soccer is still recovering from a scandal in 2004, when referee Robert Hoyzer admitting to rigging matches for a Croatian mafia ring.

    The matches concerned were mainly in the German second and third division, but a German Cup match between first division SV Hamburg and third division Paderborn and a first division match in Turkey were also affected.

    In 2008, Berlin was rocked by more allegations, that the 2006 World Cup knock-out stage match between Brazil and Ghana in Germany was influenced by an Asian betting syndicate.

    Der Spiegel magazine reported that large sums of money had been bet on Brazil winning by at least two goals and a former Ghana international acted as an intermediary.