LBR alarmed over match-fixing at amateur level

PETALING JAYA: Liga Bolasepak Rakyat (LBR) chief operating officer Azman Ibrahim is alarmed that the spectre of match-fixing is lurking at the lower level of Malaysian football.

The LBR, considered the fourth-tier of the Malaysian football league, was rocked after the Tampin team head coach was remanded over an investigation into corruption on Friday.

The coach allegedly paid his players RM80 each to lose a south zone match last November following a probe by the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission (MACC).

Azman said LBR’s integrity committee worked hand in hand with FAM integrity committee to monitor matches when the competition reaches the national stage.

“The LBR management are concerned over the serious allegation at the amateur-level competition.

“LBR will not interfere with the investigation from the authorities and will monitor closely the outcome of the case. We hope that this case will serve as a precaution to other teams,” said Azman yesterday.

“This is a serious allegation and we are worried. The president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has voiced his concern on match- fixing when he met us previously.

“We now need to wait for the investigation to end and we can’t make any statement until the investigation ends.”

The LBR is into its third season this year since its establishment in 2015, with 104 teams competing divided into eight zones.

The top two teams from each zones will qualify for the national championship.