Suspicious match to be replayed on TV
Reuters - Monday 06 July 2009, 10:50
MOSCOW - Last month's Russian Premier
League match between Terek Grozny and Krylya Sovietov Samara,
the subject of match-fixing allegations, will be broadcast again
to a national television audience on Monday.
In an unprecedented move, free-to-air Sport channel will
show the June 13th match in Grozny, giving the public a chance
to make up their mind on the matter. The match is being
investigated by Russian officials.
Originally, the game, won 3-2 by Terek, was only seen by a
limited number of viewers on cable television NTV Plus.
The match has already attracted huge interest, with
officials, experts and media giving their view on the outcome.
"I had watched this match and I didn't like what I saw,"
Russian football chief Vitaly Mutko said last month.
Several online betting companies, including the British firm
Betfair, reported irregular betting patterns for the game before
suspending betting altogether.
Officials say television audience figures for Monday's
broadcast could be in the millions, with TV ratings approaching
that of the Russian national team's surprising run to the Euro
2008 semi-finals.