Soccer raid effective in Malaysia

Soccer raid effective in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysia's crackdown on crooked soccer is working and the heavy betting that accompanies most matches is declining, a senior soccer official said yesterday.

"There has been a drastic difference and there's a sense of fresh air and cleanliness," Paul Mony, general secretary of the Football Association of Malaysia, told Reuters.

"The bookies have been shying away and the betting isn't as heavy as before."

Malaysia has been investigating allegations of rampant match- fixing in its professional soccer since the middle of this year when a scandal emerged in neighboring Singapore.

Four people have so far been arrested in Singapore for alleged match-fixing in the Malaysian Premier League.

Malaysian press reports quoted unnamed sources as saying that millions of dollars are wagered on Malaysia's Premier League games and that some players are offered between 5,000 ringgit (US$1,953) and 40,000 ringgit ($15,625) to throw a game.

After the Singapore scandals were reported in August, Malaysia began its own investigation into all 14 teams in its professional league, which started only this year.

The Football Association of Malaysia offered a 200,000 ringgit ($78,125) reward for the arrest and conviction of any bookmaker and a 100,000 ringgit ($39,062) award for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any corrupt coaches, referees or officials.

Police and the Anti-Corruption Agency were authorized to investigate the assets and bank accounts of officials and players.

Two bookmakers have been banished to remote areas of the country under the Restricted Residence Act which allows police to confine people to remote districts for up to two years.

No arrests have been made but Mony said the use of the act and police action in remanding players for up to a week to assist in investigations had struck fear in the hearts of those tempted to throw a game for money.