K-League coach caught in match-fixing dragnet
Reuters - Tuesday 12 July 2011, 08:08
SEOUL - A South Korean coach has been
arrested for blackmailing a player over his involvement in the
match-fixing scandal that has engulfed the country's
professional football league, a defence ministry official told
Reuters on Tuesday.
The head coach of K-League side Sangju Sangmu Phoenix took
10 million won ($9,451) from the parents of the player to
conceal his role in the worst scandal in the league's 28-year
history, said a spokesperson of the defence ministry's
prosecutor's office.
The official declined to reveal the coach's full name,
citing his safety.
"Coach Lee has been arrested yesterday on suspicion of
intimidation... we are still investigating the case," the
spokesperson said.
The player was among the 46 arrested last week in relation
to the attempted fixing of 15 matches from June to October last
year.
Prosecutors have also charged 11 brokers, including several
former players, with match-fixing and 10 players have been
slapped with life bans.
The coach had also demanded money from the parents of other
players, the Yonhap news agency reported.