11 Footballers Investigated in Match-Fixing Incident

Police officers in Vietnam are investigating a match-fixing case which involved 11 professional soccer players.

According to Hoang Manh Truong, the owner of professional football club Vissai Ninh Binh, said that several of the team’s players admitted to breaking Vietnamese gambling laws by conspiring to fix a match against Malaysian club Kelantan.

The match took place last month, as part of the Asian Football Confederation Cup. Members of the team admitted they had placed wagers on the outcome of the game and since there is no legal internet betting in Vietnam, their partner in crime must have been an illegal bookmaker.

“I was betrayed”

Now the Vietnamese police has extended its investigations into the team’s domestic and international matches as well. “I was betrayed,” Truong told reporters. “I feel very sad and I will work to the end to clean Vietnam’s soccer. We will work with police to bring to light those involved.”

Now the management of the club will has a tough decision to make: whether to continue playing in the AFC Cup and the local league or withdraw.

According to local media, match-fixing has long been prevalent in the region and the police have been struggling to prevent it for years.