Famous ex-ref masterminded match-fixing: CSD
FAT commended for taking tough stance
The Crime Suppression Division (CSD) is leading the investigation into the match-fixing football scandal, according to CSD acting chief Maitree Chimcherd, with a high-profile ex-referee singled out as the mastermind.
The CSD will be responsible for gathering evidence in the case, as instructed by national police chief Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda.
Pol Col Maitree said the investigation team includes Pol Col Somkwan Phuengsap, the CSD deputy commander.
The CSD is assuming a leading role in the probe as the wrongdoing took place in many locations. Pol Gen Chakthip said earlier the suspects were part of a “large network spread over the country”.
But the task of collecting detailed facts needed to enlarge the probe into related offences rests with the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB).
The CSD and MPB will work in tandem under the supervision of the national police chief.
A police source said that before the scandal unfolded on Tuesday, the police had assigned a special team that had been working for a year on a covert operation linked to the case.
Twelve suspects have been arrested including five professional players, one referee, a linesman, a member of one of the club’s management teams and four business people, according to the source.
Four of the players are from top-flight team Navy while the other hails from Nakhon Ratchasima in the same domestic league.
The source said investigators have identified a former referee, who is well-known nationally, as the match-fixing mastermind. His name was not disclosed.
The source said three or four suspects — comprising players and business people involved in football betting — have admitted to helping fix matches.
He said authorities are now tracing the money trails to gather evidence that would be of more use to prosecutors.
The others have reportedly denied all involvement in the scam, which he said has damaged the image of Thai football.
Pol Gen Chakthip said on Tuesday the suspects colluded to fix the results of games last season. The men were arrested and released on bail after a yearlong probe, Pol Gen Chakthip said.
The 12 suspects are accused of “receiving money or benefits in order to throw a game or influence others to throw a game or manipulate the score”.
The source said the games were fixed for gambling rather than seeking to win trophies.
The illegal fixes generated 2-3 million baht per match, the source said, putting the mastermind’s cut at 100,000 baht.
The MPB’s investigation division chief Itthipol Atchariyapradit said no more suspects are being investigated and no players from the national team are known to have colluded in the scam.
The probe found foreign elements supported the ring, he said. The probe is due to wrap up in a month.
Si Sa Ket chairman Thanet Kruerat claimed yesterday four of his players were involved in match-fixing.
The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) and Royal Thai Police announced on Tuesday that 12 people are under investigation for match-fixing.
Among them are five Thai League 1 players — four from Navy and one from Nakhon Ratchasima, a referee, a linesman and Si Sa Ket director Therdsak Boonchu.
The 12 are accused of “receiving money or benefits in order to throw a game” or influencing others to throw a game or manipulate the score.
They were arrested and released on bail. Thanet told a press conference that he and the club had nothing to do with the illegal practice and dismissed reports that Therdsak was his close aide.
He said he knew Therdsak, a Si Sa Ket native, only because someone asked him to find a job at the club for him.
Thanet claimed that four Si Sa Ket players — three defenders and a goalkeeper — were involved in match-fixing last season.
“I can’t believe that they were involved in match-fixing,” said Thanet.
Three of the players are out of contract while the other is still with the Koupreys, he said.
Thanet admitted that the club’s reputation was tarnished by the scandal. “We now have to be careful in recruiting players and officials,” he said.
Si Sa Ket were relegated from the top flight to T2 at the end of last season which concluded last weekend.
Meanwhile, former Thailand striker Piyapong Pue-on said match-rigging is a “cancer of football”.
The match-fixing investigation could hurt Thai football as fans would become fed up and sponsors would be scared away, he said.
This happened in neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, said Piyapong, who played for Malaysia’s Pahang among other clubs.
AFC PRAISES FAT
Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president, has congratulated the FAT on its tough stance against match-manipulation in the country.
Hours after Shaikh Salman launched the AFC’s latest weapon in the battle against match-fixing — the AFC Integrity App developed with Sportradar — he commended the FAT on its “determination to target and punish any element that attempts to tarnish the image of our game”.
The FAT, in conjunction with the Royal Thai Police, has promised tough action against those who were involved in allegedly fixing the outcome of domestic matches in Thailand.
The FAT and the Royal Thai Police used information from data service company Sportradar as part of the investigation, following reports of an unusual number of goals being scored in the late stages of the games.
In his letter to FAT president Somyot Poompunmuang, Shaikh Salman wrote: “FA Thailand, with its recent actions, has sent a strong signal to all criminal elements that their actions will be contested with full force.
“I congratulate FA Thailand for taking a firm stand against the menace of matchfixing and am more confident than ever before that our dedicated and joint efforts, together with law enforcement agencies, can bring this scourge to an end.”
The AFC has a zero-tolerance approach against those who attempt to manipulate matches in Asia and supports the strongest possible retribution against those who have been found guilty.
The AFC chief added: “I assure FA Thailand of the AFC’s full support in the fight to protect the integrity of football.”