TO show it is serious about tackling match-fixing, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) yesterday banned 18 youth team players for two to five years while a former Negri Sembilan coach was given a lifetime suspension.
Six players each from the 2011 Negri Sembilan, T-Team and Muar Municipal Council Under-21 President’s Cup squads were found to have been involved in illegal football activities, in connection with three people charged with bribing players last year.
One of the three charged was Yusarman Yusof, the then Negri Under-21 coach, who was given the lifetime ban. The others were bookies Rajendran Kurusamy, 51, a Singaporean national; and Sufian Ngah, 41, who were charged last year with bribing six
T-Team players to fix matches against Selangor, Negri and Pahang in the President’s Cup.
The bans mean the 18 players are barred from all official football-related activities.
Their names, which will be made public on Wednesday after the necessary paperwork, will be circulated to all state affiliates and clubs.
Success on the pitch apparently did not preclude players from taking bribes as in the case of Muar MC, which reached the President’s Cup final last year before losing 2-1 in extra-time to Kelantan.
Negri and T-Team were eliminated in the preliminary round.
FAM began investigations into the President's Cup players in December and the evidence and recommendation of action were finalised last month before being presented to the executive committee yesterday.
FAM deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said bribery in football was a serious matter and the association would not let up in hunting crooked players, coaches or officials, with the assistance of enforcement authorities.
"This proves that we are serious about combating match-fixing. Let this be a lesson to all players, coaches and officials involved in FAM-sanctioned tournaments," said Tengku Abdullah after chairing the executive committee meeting which endorsed the suspensions here yesterday.
Tengku Abdullah said the vetting, transparency and monitoring committee, headed by former Home Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat, and comprising members independent of FAM and its affiliates, the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), would be given broad powers to act against those suspected of fixing matches.
"In future, this committee will be given the names of players, coaches and officials found to be involved in unwanted activities by the police or MACC. They can blacklist the players and refuse a licence to play, and similarly for the officials.
"I hope everyone takes football seriously and only those sincere in competing and developing the sport in Malaysia are given the chance to be involved in football," said Tengku Abdullah.
In a significant development, international betting websites no longer carry live scores of the President's Cup matches after this year's edition kicked off on Thursday.
Betting on President's Cup matches, made possible by these websites, was identified as a prime reason why bookies targeted susceptible youth team players to fix matches.
However, in a possible setback to FAM's efforts, no hard evidence has been found against the nine Perlis Premier League players alleged to have met a bookie in Alor Star last month.
FAM general secretary Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad said a briefing by MACC officers indicated that chances of securing convictions against any of the nine in court were remote.
"We had a briefing by MACC officials recently and they said they cannot establish a case for lack of evidence. The evidence is weak."
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek described the development as scandalous and shameful to Malaysian sports. "There is a need to identify the root of the scandal." - nst.com.my
FAM deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said bribery in football was a serious matter and the association would not let up in hunting crooked players, coaches or officials, with the assistance of enforcement authorities.
"This proves that we are serious about combating match-fixing. Let this be a lesson to all players, coaches and officials involved in FAM-sanctioned tournaments," said Tengku Abdullah after chairing the executive committee meeting which endorsed the suspensions here yesterday.
Tengku Abdullah said the vetting, transparency and monitoring committee, headed by former Home Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat, and comprising members independent of FAM and its affiliates, the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), would be given broad powers to act against those suspected of fixing matches.
"In future, this committee will be given the names of players, coaches and officials found to be involved in unwanted activities by the police or MACC. They can blacklist the players and refuse a licence to play, and similarly for the officials.
"I hope everyone takes football seriously and only those sincere in competing and developing the sport in Malaysia are given the chance to be involved in football," said Tengku Abdullah.
In a significant development, international betting websites no longer carry live scores of the President's Cup matches after this year's edition kicked off on Thursday.
Betting on President's Cup matches, made possible by these websites, was identified as a prime reason why bookies targeted susceptible youth team players to fix matches.
However, in a possible setback to FAM's efforts, no hard evidence has been found against the nine Perlis Premier League players alleged to have met a bookie in Alor Star last month.
FAM general secretary Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad said a briefing by MACC officers indicated that chances of securing convictions against any of the nine in court were remote.
"We had a briefing by MACC officials recently and they said they cannot establish a case for lack of evidence. The evidence is weak."
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek described the development as scandalous and shameful to Malaysian sports. "There is a need to identify the root of the scandal." - nst.com.my
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