Malaysia FA backs probe into match-fixing
Reuters - Friday 27 May 2011, 08:11
KUALA LUMPUR - The Malaysian Football
Association on Friday backed calls for a police investigation
into alleged match-fixing during an under-21 club tournament in
the southeast Asian country.
The Negeri Sembilan Football Association (PBNS) team, who
compete in the Malaysian Super League, lodged a police report on
Thursday after finding "strong evidence" of match-fixing
involving their under-21 players and management.
"The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) takes very
seriously all reports and allegations of match-fixing in the
Malaysian League," the FAM said in a statement.
"The FAM supports fully the decision by the Negeri Sembilan
Football Association (PBNS) to make a police report based on
'concrete evidence including witnesses' that it obtained
involving the state's President Cup team.
"The FAM will fully support PBNS's efforts to push for a
police investigation on players and management suspected of
arranging matches.
"The FAM is certain that local tournaments are played
cleanly. If there is any attempt to fix the result of a match,
it is only the work of a handful of greedy and immoral
individuals."
The President Cup is an under-21 tournament with 22 teams
split into two groups with the pool winners and runners-up
advancing to the semi-finals.
Negeri Sembilan are seventh in Group B of this year's
tournament with five wins from 18 matches.