THREE men have been arrested over allegations connected to the use of doctored phone bills as evidence at a Football Association disciplinary hearing.

Merseyside Police said officers from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) arrested the men on Tuesday in relation to an ongoing investigation into perverting the course of justice and fraud at an FA arbitration hearing in 2015.

The men were taken to police stations in the north west, Shropshire and Hertfordshire and have since been released under investigation, the police statement said.

“The arrests, search and interviews are the latest in a NWROCU-led investigation that has focused on allegations of doctored phone billing being used in legal proceedings,” the statement added.

The arrests follow the opening of an investigation after reporting by The Times in 2020.