Football manager 2nd to be held over match-fixing

SEREMBAN: A 38-year-old football team manager has become the second person to be remanded in connection with an alleged match-fixing scandal here.

The remand order, for five days beginning yesterday, was issued by assistant registrar Mas Azmimin Ahmad, following an application by Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission (MACC) prosecuting officer Mohd Khairi Abdul Karim at the Special Remand Court here yesterday.

The order is to facilitate the MACC’s investigation into the scandal under Section 16(b)(A) of the MACC Act 2009.

The manager, who was arrested on Saturday, is believed to have conspired with the first person arrested in the case, a football coach for an amateur club, to fix a match.

The coach, 40, has been remanded for five days starting Saturday.

According to a source, the manager was arrested at the state’s MACC office while he was there to testify at 3.25pm.

He said the coach was suspected of giving money to an opposing team’s coach to ensure that his team would win in the People’s Football League match in November.

“His team won big in the match, raising suspicions, which led to a MACC report being lodged,” the source said .

The manager is represented by Raftfizi Zainal Abidin.

MACC senior director of Investigation Department Datuk Simi Abdul Ghani confirmed the arrest of the team’s manager.