Athlone insist they have ‘nothing to fear’ in match-fixing probe
Athlone have ‘nothing to fear’ from FAI probe
ATHLONE TOWN director of first team operations Marc Fourmeaux says he has ‘nothing to fear’ from the impending FAI and Garda investigation into suspected matchfixing involving the League of Ireland club.
And while it has emerged that the First Division outfit have links to a lower-league Portuguese side, previously suspected of wrongdoing by UEFA, the Frenchman has dismissed those connections.
The FAI confirmed on Friday that they are widening their search into ‘irregular betting patterns’ to three of Athlone’s games this season and Fourmeaux will be interviewed as part of that investigation tomorrow. Speaking exclusively to the Irish
Mail on Sunday before Athlone’s 2-1 win over Cobh Ramblers on Friday, he maintained the club’s innocence.
‘We have nothing to fear. We came here for football and to be a success. We have done nothing wrong. We are here for football and to get good results,’ he said.
‘When you lose and don’t get results people will get angry, that is football and we are here for football. The fans must know this. We want to be a success here.’
The Mail can reveal that Fourmeaux – a football agent who approached Bohemians and Cobh on behalf of a Chinese/Portuguese consortium offering investment prior to Athlone last November – is listed as one of three directors of a company called Callaview Limited.
It was set up on December 15 last year and has a registered address at Athlone Town Stadium. Local businessman Joey Boland – previously listed as club treasurer – is another director while Jose Manuel Francisco is the third.
Francisco has an address in Lisbon and is football director with Atletico Clube de Portugal (CP), the Portuguese side previously suspected of match-fixing by UEFA.
Three current members of the Athlone squad – goalkeeper Igors Labuts and midfielders Frederico Hernandez and Jose Viegas – have played for Atletico.
In a document sent by UEFA to the FAI following the ‘irregular betting patterns’ in Athlone’s 3-1 defeat which sparked this investigation, Labuts and the club’s Latvian defender Kirils Grigorovs were cited as having played in 17 suspicious games scrutinised by football’s European governing body.
There is no evidence of wrongdoing on their part and the same goes for another of Athlone’s new signings, Romanian Dragos Sfrijan who played in four matches already examined by UEFA. UEFA did not take disciplinary action in relation to any of these games.
Athlone’s interim boss Ricardo Cravo was also in charge of Atletico CP’s second team last season before coming to Ireland and the Portuguese club is owned by Chinese businessman Eric Mao.
But, when asked by the Mail if Mao is the investor in Athlone, Fourmeaux declined to make a comment.
Fourmeaux did provide his reasons for coming to Athlone. ‘There are good facilities here. It is a nice place. We want success.’
‘THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ON-FIELD LINKS WITH ATLETICO’
OFFICIALS and management at embattled Athlone Town remain defiant in the face of the FAI’s investigation into suspected match-fixing at the League of Ireland club.
While a confidential report sent by UEFA to Abbotstown chiefs earlier this week stated that there was ‘clear and overwhelming’ evidence that their First Division clash with Longford Town last weekend was ‘unduly influenced with a view to gaining corrupt betting profits’, director of first team operations Marc Fourmeaux insists the club ‘have nothing to fear’ when the FAI begin to interview relevant parties tomorrow.
The Association released a statement on Friday night confirming that it had widened its investigation into ‘irregular betting patterns’ to three games involving Athlone and the Irish Mail on Sunday can now confirm the extent of their links to a lower league Portuguese club previously under suspicion of match-fixing by UEFA.
It can also be revealed that Athlone’s interim manager, Ricardo Cravo, who will be interviewed by the FAI as part of their investigation, previously worked with Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at Sporting Lisbon.
While John Hayden, a State Solicitor in Westmeath, remains the club’s chairman, Fourmeaux is understood to be the conduit to Athlone’s overseas investors believed to be a Chinese consortium with links to Portugal.
Indeed, Cobh Ramblers Licensing officer Shane Kavanagh told the
Irish Daily Mail earlier this week that Fourmeaux approached the Munster club last November stating he was representing Chinese/ Portuguese investors promising significant financial contributions as well as promotion to the Premier Division and European qualification within two seasons. He also approached Bohemians but both advances were rejected.
Fourmeaux was previously general manager of Lithuanian club DFK Dainava when they finished bottom of their top division in 2014 and were relegated with nine points from 36 games and a negative goal difference of -131, more than threetimes worse off than their nearest rivals.
But it is Athlone’s links with the Portuguese side Atletico Clube de Portugal (CP) which seem most pertinent, and they begin with the company Callaview Limited that was set up on December 15 last year.
Its registered address is Athlone Town Stadium and in a recently published Q&A in the Westmeath Independent, the club had this response when asked the purpose of the company. ‘The company was set up to aid the management of the club’s first team affairs.’
There are three directors of Callaview. Joey Boland, a local businessman in Athlone and listed as club treasurer in 2014, is one while Fourmeaux and Jose Manual Francisco are the others.
Francisco is a football director with Atletico and UEFA have previously suspected the club of matchfixing. They were relegated to the Portuguese third division last season. The UEFA investigation into Atletico did not lead to any disciplinary action against the club or its players.
As well as the off-field links to Athlone involving Francisco through Callaview, there are also a number of on-field associations with Atletico.
Igors Labuts trained with Drogheda United twice during preseason and is the current Athlone goalkeeper. The Latvian has been their No.1 for the whole of this season and he previously played for Atletico. In a document sent by UEFA to the FAI following the ‘irregular betting patterns’ in the 3-1 defeat to Longford which sparked their investigation, Labuts was cited as having played in 17 suspicious games scrutinised by football’s European governing body.
UEFA did not take disciplinary action in relation to any of these games. Midfielders Frederico Hernandez and Jose Viegas have also played for Atletico while interim manager Cravo was in charge of Atletico CP’s second team last season before coming to Ireland. Commenting under a photo of that team on the club’s Facebook page, Francisco said: ‘It was for me a privilege to be part of this group, this family. As Director of the team [I] couldn’t wish for more.’
Atletico are owned by Chinese businessman Eric Mao but Fourmeaux had no comment to make when asked if Mao was one of the investors at Athlone.
Athlone’s Latvian defender Kirils Grigorovs and Romanian midfielder Dragos Sfrijan were also involved in matches examined by UEFA. Again, no disciplinary action in relation to any of these games was taken.
With the FAI beginning the interview process of the investigation in Athlone tomorrow, Fourmeaux remained defiant.
‘We have nothing to fear. We came here for football and to be a success. We have done nothing wrong. We are here for football and to get good results,’ he said.
‘When you lose and don’t get results people will get angry, that is football and we are here for football. The fans must know this. We want to be a success here.
‘There are good facilities here. It is a nice place. When we came we were told it is not the first sport here. There is rugby and then there is Gaelic.’
This has been a tumultuous season for Athlone.
Cravo has been in charge for their last two games – including Friday’s 2-1 win over Cobh – and he is their third boss this season. Colin Fortune began the campaign with two wins in a row before the trio of Portuguese coaches arrived - Ricardo Monsanto, Jose Ferreira and Cravo.
Monsanto was abruptly installed as manager with Fortune demoted to coach in March but he left the club last month after seven defeats in eight games. It is understood, however, that he was still sharing an apartment with Cravo this week.
Ferreira also departed the staff
‘ATHLONE HAVE HAD A TUMULTUOUS SEASON’
earlier in a campaign which has seen several overseas players arrive. On Friday, Labuts, Grigorovs, Hernandez and the impressive Chris Rodriguez (he scored a brace) all played.
Viegas was on the bench while the injured Sfrijan and unavailable Uruguayan striker Walter Invernizzi both sat alongside Fourmeaux in the stand.
Athlone looked like a squad united both during and after their comfortable victory over Cobh. There was no sign of a split between those Irish players and the ones who have arrived from overseas. They had a pre-match huddle, celebrated the two goals together and laughed and joked during the post-match warmdown. The diminutive Cravo was a bundle of energy on the touchline throughout and greeted Fourmeaux with a hug and kiss after the final whistle. A coach in his native Portugal for almost 25 years, he was keen to stress his credentials.
‘My philosophy? Win. My philosophy is important: work, work every day and improve every day and win the games,’ he began.
‘I respect this [investigation] but I don’t want to talk about the investigation. This is for the federation, for the club.
‘I like to very much stay here, I come because I want to learn more English. I am in a school in the centre of town. I want to learn more, I want to see the football here, I want to work here and it’s only this.
‘Here I am a simple coach in the pitch. Maybe another manager comes. For me I work every day for the club. If the club wants to me to coach on the pitch I coach on the pitch. If the club wants me to be manager I’ll stay manager.
‘I trained at Sporting Club Portugal (Sporting Lisbon). Many years in Sporting. I remember Ronaldo. I see Ronaldo every time from being a young kid. He work every day. Ronaldo trained three times a day.
‘I live football. I live the match. It’s my passion.’
And passions are running high as Athlone currently finds itself at the centre of unwelcome attention — a focus that looks destined to delve deep as the FAI’s investigation takes hold this week.