By David Gold
February 28 – South Korea has dropped the K-League Cup in a bid to clamp down on match fixing in the wake of last year’s scandal.
The country was one of the many in which match fixing was uncovered, and in South Korea a number of players were arrested as a result.
One player, Jung Jong-kwan, took his own life as a result of the scandal, while football coach, Lee Soo-Chul, also committed suicide in October.
Most of the games involved in match fixing last year were in the K-League Cup, which teams tend not to take as seriously as the league fixtures in South Korea – making such games prime targets for fixers and betting rings.
The Yonhap news agency report that the decision to drop the cup is among a raft of changes brought in, including the idea of splitting the league into two halves to keep the league competitive for longer and reduce the prospect of match fixing.
Similarly in Turkey, where another major match fixing scandal was uncovered last year, they have brought in an end of season play off to try and ensure that the league remains competitive for longer.
K-League commissioner Chung Mong-kyu told Yonhap: “We believe the split system will keep things interesting until the end and teams will stay competitive.
“Also, we’ve made extra efforts to ensure fair and transparent officiating.
“Our games will be refereed in an acceptable and reasonable fashion.”
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February 2012: South Korea promises crack down on match fixing criminals
June 2011: South Korean Olympic football captain quizzed in fixing scandal
June 2011: South Korea extends match fixing plea-bargaining deadline as ‘inadequate’ number of players come clean
