For the time being we’ll turn our attention from FA Cup 4th Round action that included Liverpool’s successful squash-job of minnows Havant & Waterlooville and Arsenal bouncing back from their midweek Worthless Cup disappointment by throttling Newcastle and instead, stare at the following scandal-a-brewing, as clipped from Reuters :
Namibia said on Saturday they had been approached to fix a match at the African Nations Cup, having been offered $30,000 per player to throw their final group game against Guinea in Sekondi on Monday.
Namibia Football Association president John Muinjo said he had been told of the offer by his players and had immediately informed the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
“My players were approached by a man saying he represented a syndicate and offered them money to lose the game,” Muinjo told Reuters in Accra on Saturday.
It follows a similar approach to Benin coach Reinhard Fabisch before the start of the tournament by an unidentified man, purporting to represent betting interests.
“The players came to me immediately to tell me and we’ve informed CAF of what has happened,” said Muinjo.
“The players were offered up to $30 000 to lose the game. They were offered half in advance but told they had to be able during the game to manipulate the score on the instructions of the syndicate.”
The Benin coach said he had been approached by a man who claimed to be from a Singapore-based company.
“He wanted to find out from me if there was any possibility of manipulating the match,” Fabisch said.