WADA claims links between doping and match-fixing; Singapore extends detention of match-fixing accused
This week’s recap sees the continuation of investigations in El Salvador, Singapore and Spain, as well as the start of a new investigation in Sweden. The Swedish Crime Prevention Council (BRA) has been commissioned an investigation into match-fixing in the country, the results of which will be used to develop a new strategy to combat it.
Another interesting incident this week took place in Malaysia, with Red Giants’ fans trying to take matters into their own hands. Fans seemed to believe that the only explanation for their team’s defeat was match-fixing, so they paid a visit to the club’s players during their training session to demand explanations.
CURRENT INVESTIGATION
El Salvador
A court in El Salvador has rejected a demand by the Public Prosecutor’s Office which sort precautionary measures against the foreign businessmen linked to the match-fixing scandal with the national team. The three men (one Malayan-Singaporean and two Nicaraguan) are still waiting for their preliminary hearing. They are being investigated along with 11 players, 6 of which received precautionary measures for not making themselves present at their hearing. Such precautionary measures include not visiting places where they could meet the others under investigation, as well as no communication among themselves.
Source: "Rechazan recurso contra empresarios vinculados a amaño de juegos salvadoreños", 10 October 2014, EFE, https://mx.noticias.yahoo.com/rechazan-recurso-empresarios-vinculados-ama%C3%B1o-juegos-salvadore%C3%B1os-005400891--sow.html
Singapore
A man was back in court on October 6th to face charges of match-fixing and cheating, two years after he got a discharge not amounting to an acquittal after his alleged accomplices ran away. Selvarajan Letchuman, 51, a former project manager, appeared in court in prison attire as he is serving time until next month for a separate offence. His case is the first where an alleged offender has been taken to court for trying to profit from fixing a match. Selvarajan faced two revived corruption charges for giving RM500 (S$195) and offering RM15,000 to Malaysian part-time referee Shokri Nor to fix a Malaysian Super League football game between the LionsXII and Sarawak in 2012. The maximum penalty for corruption is a $100,000 fine and five years' jail. For abetting in a conspiracy to cheat, the maximum punishment is two and a half years' jail and a fine.
Source: Elena Chong, "Man back in court after two years over match-fixing", 6 October 2014, The Straits Times, https://news.asiaone.com/news/crime/man-back-court-after-two-years-over-match-fixing
Singapore
Singapore has extended detention orders that allow it to hold, without charge, four people accused of being involved in a global match-fixing syndicate, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Wednesday. The four Singaporeans were arrested in 2013, together with 10 others, for their alleged roles in trying to rig soccer matches around the world and had been detained for the past year. The original order held until October 2nd. One of those detained is local businessman Tan Seet Eng, also known as Dan Tan, who has been accused by INTERPOL as being the head of the match-fixing syndicate. European police said last year that a Singapore-based syndicate had directed match-fixing for at least 380 soccer games in Europe alone, making at least eight million euros (£6.2 million). Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs, Masagos Zulkifli, said at a conference in London this week that by holding these four people they had "effectively dismantled the syndicate". Under Singapore's Criminal Law act, detention orders last for a maximum of 12 months and cases are reviewed annually and submitted to the President.
Source: "Football - Singapore extends orders to hold four over match-fixing", 8 October 2014, Reuters, https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/football-singapore-extends-orders-hold-four-match-fixing-053709365--sow.html
Spain
La Liga president Javier Tebas said some authorities wanted to hide match-fixing and financial fair play issues. An investigation is taking place for a clash between Levante and Real Zaragoza from last season, with players summoned in the match-fixing probe. Tebas said the problems needed to be fought, not hidden. "Regarding the match-fixing and financial fair play, from what I've seen in a year and a half as the president of La Liga, it has not been easy for the institutions to realise that this problem exists. But in football, there are also some important institutions that want to hide the problem. Our integrity department in La Liga, for example, last weekend detected match-fixing activity in the third division. We detected the problem and communicated it to the responsible authority, but they chose to hide it. Probably because they don't want to recognise that this problem exists, even in the lower division." Tebas said the governing body had to make sacrifices to help clubs, but believes they are paying their debts.
Source: "Tebas: Authorities hide match-fixing", 7 October 2014, Sportal, https://www.sportal.com.au/football/news/tebas-authorities-hide-match-fixing/m9v9hlimvf1g1bhp1e8zou77q
Sweden
Sweden’s Crime Prevention Council (BRA) is to launch an investigation into match-fixing in the country as part of an effort to establish how the system works and who it involves. Due to begin this autumn, the investigation was commissioned by the Swedish Sports Confederation, the Swedish Football Association national governing body and state-owned gaming operator Svenska Spel. Results from the investigation, which are not expected until the summer of next year, will be used by authorities to develop a new strategy to help combat match-fixing in the country. The BRA becomes the latest body in the last few weeks to launch an investigation into match-fixing, following the Italian Serie A and Spanish Liga top-tier club football competitions.
Source: "Swedish authority to launch match fixing investigation", 10 October 2014, iGaming Business, https://www.igamingbusiness.com/news/swedish-authority-launch-match-fixing-investigation
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- Tags: Anti-Corruption | Anti-Doping | Big League | El Salvador | Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) | FIFA | Football | International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) | INTERPOL | Italian Serie A | Italy | La Liga | Malaysia | Malaysian Super League | Match-Fixing | Serie A | Singapore | Singapore's Criminal Law act | Spain | Spanish Liga | Svenska Spel | Sweden | Sweden’s Crime Prevention Council (BRA) | Swedish Football Association | Swedish Sports Confederation | Uganda | Uganda Premier League | UNESCO | UNESCO World Sport Ministers Conference (MINEPS V) | United Kingdom | World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
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