December 29 – Vietnamese football authorities have imposed their latest crackdown on match-fixing, banning nine players for life for rigging an Asian club game.
The former Vissai Ninh Binh players received jail terms of up to 30 months in August for fixing an away match against Malaysia’s Kelantan in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup.
Vissai Ninh Binh subsequently withdrew from the Vietnamese top flight amid fears league games could also have been fixed.
The VFF said in August it was “resolutely fighting with negatives in football to regain the confidence of the country’s fans.”
Whilst illegal, gambling is rife in Vietnam with huge sums changing hands. Vietnamese police said they tracked tens of millions of dollars in online betting daily during this year’s World Cup.
In November, the AFC extended the domestic ban on six Vietnamese players from Dong Nai FC to confederation level for their role in another match-fixing scandal. The six players, including the team captain, were arrested after Dong Nai FC’s V-League 5-3 loss to Than Quang Ninh FC on July 20.
Match-fixing has long plagued Vietnamese football with frequent arrests of players, coaches and bookmakers and players. Police made dozens of arrests during the World Cup and carried out raids on underground gangs.
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