FIFA probes Argentina-Nigeria match
June 5, 2011, Sunday
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FIFA is investigating Argentina's 1-4 loss in Nigeria last Wednesday after betting patterns suggested it was targeted by match fixers.
It's the highest profile match yet in a wave of suspicious recent international friendlies, often with goals scored from penalty kicks.
The match "was one that we had an active interest in, and forms part of a wider ongoing FIFA investigation," football's world governing body said yesterday.
FIFA was "working closely" with its betting monitoring agency Early Warning System which tracks wagers placed with more than 400 operators worldwide.
Hours before kickoff in Abuja on Wednesday, FIFA President Sepp Blatter launched his "zero tolerance" campaign to stop corruption in football.
FIFA's 208 member nations in Zurich also passed new rules to control the organization of international matches, including the power to veto referee appointments.
Referee Ibrahim Chaibou of Niger awarded two penalties - one to each side - in Wednesday's game between two teams who played each other at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Nigeria took a 2-0 lead with a 26th-minute spot-kick after Chaibou awarded a foul against Argentina defender Federico Fazio.
Five minutes of stoppage time were announced at the end of the match, with play continuing until the 98th minute when Argentina scored with a penalty from Mauro Boselli.
Argentina fielded a below-strength lineup without star forwards such as Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel di Maria.
However, there was no suggestion that players from either team were involved in manipulating the match.
Meanwhile, the Korea Football Association will join forces with its counterparts in Japan and China to tackle match-fixing and illegal gambling that has plagued soccer in the region, local media reported yesterday.
The KFA said the widening match-fixing scandal, which led to the recent arrest of five K-League players, has battered the game's image in South Korea and a joint effort was required to deal with the threat.
KFA Chairman Cho Chung-yun said that illegal betting sites had been set up in China's Hong Kong and Macau to gamble on soccer in South Korea, China and Japan and that the best way the three Football Associations could deal with the problem would be to work together.
It's the highest profile match yet in a wave of suspicious recent international friendlies, often with goals scored from penalty kicks.
The match "was one that we had an active interest in, and forms part of a wider ongoing FIFA investigation," football's world governing body said yesterday.
FIFA was "working closely" with its betting monitoring agency Early Warning System which tracks wagers placed with more than 400 operators worldwide.
Hours before kickoff in Abuja on Wednesday, FIFA President Sepp Blatter launched his "zero tolerance" campaign to stop corruption in football.
FIFA's 208 member nations in Zurich also passed new rules to control the organization of international matches, including the power to veto referee appointments.
Referee Ibrahim Chaibou of Niger awarded two penalties - one to each side - in Wednesday's game between two teams who played each other at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Nigeria took a 2-0 lead with a 26th-minute spot-kick after Chaibou awarded a foul against Argentina defender Federico Fazio.
Five minutes of stoppage time were announced at the end of the match, with play continuing until the 98th minute when Argentina scored with a penalty from Mauro Boselli.
Argentina fielded a below-strength lineup without star forwards such as Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel di Maria.
However, there was no suggestion that players from either team were involved in manipulating the match.
Meanwhile, the Korea Football Association will join forces with its counterparts in Japan and China to tackle match-fixing and illegal gambling that has plagued soccer in the region, local media reported yesterday.
The KFA said the widening match-fixing scandal, which led to the recent arrest of five K-League players, has battered the game's image in South Korea and a joint effort was required to deal with the threat.
KFA Chairman Cho Chung-yun said that illegal betting sites had been set up in China's Hong Kong and Macau to gamble on soccer in South Korea, China and Japan and that the best way the three Football Associations could deal with the problem would be to work together.
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