S'pore, M'sia FAs to team up against match-fixing LionsXII assistant coach believes CPIB briefing for players is necessary, warns his players

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SINGAPORE - It lurked in shadows on both sides of the causeway.

A stubborn parasite that lives to poison the image of the beautiful game, match-fixing has always loomed large in football.

But while we often read of European leagues affected by it today, match-fixing has long infected football in South-East Asia, and Singaporeans as well as Malaysians will constantly be reminded of the scourge during the Malaysia Cup days, from the 1970s right through to the 1990s.

Singapore's famous 4-0 mauling of Pahang in the 1994 Malaysia Cup final to complete a league and Cup double was suspected to have been tainted by it, and with Singapore now making its return to the Malaysian competitions, fears of the corruption scourge has resurfaced.

The Lions XII will host defending Malaysia Super League (MSL) champions Kelantan in their opening match of the 2012 MSL season at the Jalan Besar Stadium next Tuesday, but before that takes place, officials from the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) will meet the team to warn them of the perils of match-fixing.

While some of the top stars in the 29-strong LionsXII squad earn in excess of S$10,000, there are also some who pocket S$1500 a month. Well aware that the scourge of match fixing is always a threat in this region, assistant coach Kadir Yahaya said: "Of course the threat is still real, matches are being fixed all over the world, even in Europe, and in our region as well," said Kadir, a member of that 1994 Malaysia league and Cup double-winning side, yesterday.

"Apart from this talk, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) must also play a key role in educating players ... and show them examples of what has happened before, of players who've had their careers ruined."

The undercurrent of match-fixing was one of the reasons Singapore left Malaysian football after 1994.

The Republic was alleged to have been the match-fixing hub in the 1990s and Malaysia eventually banned 64 of its own players for various periods with another 21 sentenced to internal exile in addition to a ban.

"My message to the players is: if they get into this, there's no way they can run, especially with CPIB being vigilant," added Kadir.

SAFFC assistant coach V Selvaraj echoed Kadir's thoughts.

"Match-fixing was the most talked-about subject in those days, and we heard that the authorities were doing things in the background to monitor the situation, but there was no official talk to inform players (of the perils)," he said.

"In Malaysia there are always possibilities of things happening, it may be tempting, but these players should look beyond, to their careers. That's why it's good that CPIB is doing this to inform and remind these players."

While Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) officials could not be reached at press time last night, FAM general secretary Datuk Azzudin Ahmad had earlier told Today: "That the match-fixing demon hasn't died down, but should there be any attempt against us, we are very much stronger as two federations fighting the same war.

"We got our own task force, and we'll see how we can work with the FAS on this."

LionsXII defender Baihakki Khaizan also said: "There has been talk of matches being fixed, and referees selling games, but with modern technology I think it would be easy to catch those who fix games these days.

"As players we know that we have to be extra careful, and this CPIB talk will serve as a good reminder of the dangers that exist."