Police have launched an investigation after two men snuck into Fulham’s ground and a mobile phone was taped to a broadcaster’s platform ahead of the club’s clash with Tottenham last week.
The revelation has put other Premier League clubs on alert, amid fears there may be an organised crime unit which is targeting top-flight stadia.
Suspicions were triggered over the presence of two suit-wearing men who got inside Craven Cottage.
CCTV footage was reviewed and it transpired that the phone had been attached to the underside of the table which was to be used by BT Sport, who televised the match.
The finding, on the day before the game, sparked a major security alert and a call was made to police who have launched an ongoing probe.
No arrests have yet been made and the men are believed to have left the stadium without being challenged.
Initially, there were concerns that the incident may have been terror-related. While the motive remains unclear, there is now a fear that this may have been an extortion attempt with the device possibly strategically placed to record BT talent — including Rio Ferdinand, Jake Humphrey and Steve Sidwell — and a plan of bribery if any of them had been captured saying something which they would not wish to go public.
The prospect has also been raised that the phone may have been part of a gambling scam attempting to secure inside, real-time information for betting markets.
Amid concerns that an organised crime unit is at large, the security breach is not a good look when such attention is being placed on keeping venues secure during the pandemic.
A Fulham spokesman confirmed they are assisting police. The Metropolitan Police said: ‘There have been no arrests and enquiries continue’.
BT Sport declined to comment.