Cambodia football authority launches probe over match-fixing allegations after loss to Singapore
"To all the officials and players who are honest and uninvolved, there is nothing to worry about with their integrity," said the Football Federation of Cambodia.
President of the Cambodia Football Federation, Sao Sokha. (Photo: Facebook/Football Federation of Cambodia)
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SINGAPORE: Three days after a loss to Singapore at the ASEAN championship, the Football Federation of Cambodia said it had launched an investigation "to clear any suspicions".
In a Facebook post on Saturday (Dec 14), it said that this was "in light of the incident that occurred and appears to be unusual for the previous matches".
"To all the officials and players who are honest and uninvolved, there is nothing to worry about with their integrity," it said.
This followed a meeting between the association president, Sao Sokha, and officials and the Cambodian national team.
The Cambodian football body did not specify the match in question or the individuals under investigation.
According to the Khmer Times, the probe was launched following speculations by some fans of possible match-fixing.
These comments came three days after the team's 1-2 loss to Singapore earlier in the tournament, where two mistakes by the Cambodia goalkeeper led to goals for the Lions.
In the ninth minute, a miscue by Dara Vireak following a back pass saw him direct the ball to Singapore's Faris Ramli who tucked home.
Just seven minutes later, another Vireak mistake saw him under-hit a pass into the path of the Shawal, who scored Singapore's second goal.
Vireak also played in Cambodia's opening match, a 2-2 draw with Malaysia, but was dropped for their 2-1 win over Timor-Leste on Tuesday.
In a Facebook post last week, Cambodia full-back Nick Taylor defended his teammate.
"Also, if there is any idea about match-fixing, it is completely wrong. Every single player fights and wants to win for their country and mistakes in football are normal," said the American-born player.
"I trust and support Dara 1,000%."
In response to queries from CNA, an ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) spokesperson said that it has been informed by the Football Federation of Cambodia of their "concern on possible match fixing" and that it will wait for the conclusion of their ongoing investigation before determining the next course of action.
"The AFF takes a serious view of match manipulation which is a cancer to our game," said the spokesperson.
