" We have received information about players being approached and solicited for match-fixing. We will look into the matter, investigate and take other necessary actions ," Reuters news agency quoted All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey as saying.
The AIFF did not reveal which players and clubs were approached for the purpose of manipulating matches. However, the teams and players approached all play in the Indian First Division (I-League). It is not clear whether teams in the ISL were involved.
Players in India approached for match fixing.
The AIFF is tightening its management of professional football tournaments in the country of a billion people, aiming to combat the threat of match-fixing. At the same time, players and team officials need to be aware of negative issues and report them to the authorities when necessary.
Ten years ago, the AIFF set up its own anti-corruption agency when its players were approached by a Malaysian betting syndicate to fix matches. Most recently in 2018, several Indian teams simultaneously informed the federation that they had been lured into match-fixing.
Reuters quoted a senior AIFF official as saying: " Some players have reported how they were approached, and the results of some matches are similar to the reports and make us suspicious. A clearer picture will only emerge after the investigation is over ."
In 2023, many cases of match-fixing and football score-fixing around the world were exposed in many countries such as Spain, Brazil, Türkiye, Germany and Switzerland. Even some Asian bookmakers based in Singapore were "named" as the masterminds.
The fixed matches span many national championships, many leagues and some matches in the Euro qualifiers and European Cup 1 are also under suspicion.
Mai Phuong
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