Malaysia bans 80 players

Malaysia bans 80 players

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Eighty players implicated in match- fixing by police have been barred from the Malaysian League this season, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) announced yesterday.

The names on the list handed over by the police to the FAM were not revealed, the national news agency Bernama said. About 120 players -- one-third of the league's workforce -- have been questioned about match-fixing in the inaugural season of the Malaysian League.

It is the biggest bribery investigation in the game's history. The Singapore team, which won both the league championship and the annual Malaysia Cup last year, has withdrawn from the league after the FAM publicly stated that it was considering expelling it.