Financial Services 
| CAF match rigging allegations worrying |
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| Sunday, 27 January 2008 | |
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By Nick Reeves Accra - The Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed on Sunday it was taking seriously claims of attempted match-fixing at the African Nations Cup.
The team, who have only an outside chance of making the quarter-finals after defeats to Ghana and Morocco, alerted their national football association president John Muinjo who in turn contacted CAF. CAF official Soulemine Hubouba said: "We are launching an investigation into both cases. "We're following this with great concern, and will have more to say on it either today or tomorrow." He added that despite these two cases "match-fixing was not rampant in Africa". Muinjo, explaining the circumstances of the Namibia approach, reported: "My players were approached by a man saying he represented a syndicate and offered them money to lose the game (which takes place on January 28). "The players came to me immediately to tell me and we've informed CAF of what has happened. "The players were offered up to $30 000 to lose the game. "They were offered half in advance but told they had to be able during the game to manipulate the score on the instructions of the syndicate." The Namibia case bears striking similarities with the first incident involving Benin. Fabisch said the man who came up to him at the team's hotel in Sekondi had told him he represented a company based in Singapore which could fix games across Africa. "I was astonished that he had the guts to approach a German to fix a football match," said Fabisch. "I think that African players are vulnerable to this kind of approach, because many of them don't have money. "This is why poor countries like Benin are targeted. I cut him short and told him to leave. It doesn't help football. "I assume that if someone approaches you like that, then they have that (money) in mind." - Sapa-AFP |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 22 May 2008 ) |
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