Players and businessmen in the Far East allegedly conspired to fix matches by placing huge bets on non-league matches in England, a court heard on Monday.

The matches were targeted because non-league competitions are under far less scrutiny than professional games, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

Michael Boateng and Hakeem Adelakun, both 22, together with 24-year-old Moses Swaibu, are each accused of conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery.

The three went on trial alongside Chann Sankaran, 33, and Krishna Ganeshan, 43, over an allegation they all took part in a conspiracy to affect the outcome of games.

Prosecution lawyer Robert Davies said Sankaran and Ganeshan were "central figures" in the alleged conspiracy, while the other three men were "willing recruits".

He said the men had come to Britain from Singapore intending to target non-league conference football competitions, which he described as a match-fixers' "Goldilocks scenario".

Davies said the term referred to leagues where "investors use the minimum level of bribe to get the maximum betting return".

"In lower divisions, the players get paid a lot less than the footballers in the Premier League, Division One and even (Division) Two," he added.

"There's far less scrutiny of what occurs in those matches."

Setting out the case against Sankaran and Ganeshan, he said the men had tried "to engineer the results they need to make money either on betting in the UK or the Far East".

"They've come across to the UK with a plan to find lower league players willing to take a bribe or encourage other players to do so."

Boateng, Adelakun and Swaibu were described as playing "an important role" in recruiting other players to take bribes.

The alleged offences came to light in an undercover investigation into football corruption, which was later taken over by the detectives.

The jury was told the investigators, using false names, developed a relationship with Sankaran.

He introduced them to a unnamed middleman who in turn eventually made the introductions to the players.

Reading text messages to the court between Sankaran and the middleman, Davies said it was the prosecution's belief the men were "negotiating fees" over the match-fixing.

In one such message, Sankaran is alleged to have written: "My boss said for the players he can pay 20,000 euros ($27,400) and for you, 5,000 euros because there's only five players."

Davies said the middleman's response showed "concerns about the price".

The prosecution claims various messages sent between all the accused showed their intentions were clear.

"If it's not about people who are agreeing to pay bribes to fix results of matches, then what is it?" Davies told the jury.

"What else can it be? We say it is clear they have appeared to do."

All the men deny the charges against them.