Malaysia goalkeeper passes polygraph test
Reuters - Wednesday 19 September 2012, 04:18
Malaysia international goalkeeper Sharbinee Allawee has been cleared of match-fixing allegations levelled at him by his club manager after passing a lie-detector test, a government anti-corruption agency has said.
Terengganu's English coach Peter Butler substituted 25-year-old Sharbinee after the goalkeeper had clumsily palmed the ball into his own net to allow Kedah to equalise in a Malaysia Cup match earlier this month.
An incensed Butler vowed Sharbinee would not play for his side again following the incident, but the director of the Terengganu office of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) said the player was found to have done nothing wrong.
"As far as we are concerned, he is innocent," Md Yusoff Md Zin told Wednesday's Malaysian Star.
"We conducted a thorough investigation lasting more than two weeks and there's no evidence or document linking Ahmad Sharbinee with fixing matches.
"We even conducted a polygraph test on Sharbinee and it yielded no significant reaction which would link him to match-fixing."
Md Yusoff said the investigation of the goalkeeper, who has won eight caps for his country, had involved his team mates, Butler and other management staff at the Turtles and was now considered closed.
Sharbinee, however, was hit with a 1,000 Malaysian ringgit fine during a Terengganu FA disciplinary hearing on Monday for throwing a water bottle at Butler after being substituted, with the Englishman hit with a 15 percent reduction of a month's salary for the accusations.
The former West Ham United midfielder was also banned for six months and hit with a 4,000 Malaysian ringgit ($1,300) fine in the same hearing for accusing two other players of behaving in an improper manner by bringing guests to their hotel room before the fixture.
The disciplinary committee chairman Ahmad Shukri Zakaria said Butler was penalised for making things public despite Muslim Ahmad and Ismail Faruqi admitting to leaving their hotel rooms before returning at 0300.
"The committee decided to issue a stern warning to the players and fined them 1,000 ringgit each," Ahmad told reporters after the hearing.