September 1 – Organisers of Vietnam’s V-League have pledged to step up their crackdown on match-fixing after several games ended with questionable results.
Among matches that have raised eyebrows, according to local reports, was bottom-placed club Hoang Anh Gia Lai’s recent 3-1 win over Song Lam Nghe An. Two days before the match several SLNA players had posted photos of them together with HAGL players on their Facebook pages.
“We fear that some clubs could play below their best. We have requested the crime branch police to monitor the league,” Nguyen Minh Ngoc, head of V-League organising committee said.
Nguyen Hong Thanh, director of Song Lam Nghe An, said he could not control the way his players performed. “I am very sad because the SLNA players did not play as well as I expected. Maybe they felt pity for HAGL since they face a relegation threat.”
SLNA were seventh at the time with no chance of either winning the title or facing relegation.
Illegal gambling is rife in Vietnam with huge sums changing hands and the frequent arrests of players, coaches and bookmakers. Late last year Vietnamese football authorities banned nine players for life for rigging an Asian club game.
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