Fifa clear Malaysia FA

has praised them for their tough policy against corruption.
But Eaton said several Malaysians and a Singapore national, who lives in that country, were part of the underworld match-fixing network.
Eaton’s statement will pour cold water over claims, which have been circulated around the world, that Fifa were investigating FAM, with some speculating that Monomotapa’s controversial visit there two years ago was part of the agenda.
Speculation has been rife that the Fifa investigators were targeting FAM officials and, by association, Monomotapa’s controversial visit to Malaysia where they masqueraded as the Warriors before the world football governing body stripped the two matches of their A’ International status.
But Eaton, who is heading the Fifa team, said the world football governing body were in Malaysia to trek several individuals, living there, who were involved in match-fixing and this had emerged from Fifa’s investigations into match-fixing scandals in Germany, Finland and Singapore.
Eaton said his team was investigating match-fixing scandals that erupted in Germany, Finland and Singapore, and their investigations into that, had led them to Malaysia.
“I have to admit that from our investigations, several Malaysians are involved in match-fixing,” Eaton told reporters yesterday.
“But the case did not involve the FAM (Football Association of Malaysia).”
Eaton said the Fifa team was also “investigating a Singaporean who is living in Malaysia” but declined to give further details.
The Fifa security chief praised the Malaysian football authorities for their vigorous approach to tackling match-fixing corruption.
“The FAM has a very good approach to combating corruption and the police are very active,” he said.
Eaton and his team met with FAM deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and top police officers from the vice and anti-gaming unit.
Following the meeting, Tengku Abdullah said the FAM, together with the police, would set up a nationwide taskforce to monitor national and state teams as well as state football associations.
“FAM does not want a repeat of the match-fixing scandal that rocked the country in 1995. So, I have advised national players and officials to not repeat that episode or they will be in serious trouble,” he told Bernama.
Football officials say that more than 100 players, officials and bookies were investigated over bribery and match-fixing claims by the FAM in 1995 with over 70 receiving life bans as a result.
Fifa is investigating claims that more than 300 matches on three continents were influenced by match-fixers.
Last week, the New Straits Times newspaper said Fifa’s full investigation into match-fixing had led to two Malaysians, adding that its investigators would interview several people in the country.
Employees from at least six different national football associations are under suspicion of assisting a criminal network, which is thought to operate out of Singapore and Malaysia.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter recently said that football’s world governing body would donate US$28 million to Interpol to fund a dedicated anti-corruption unit in Singapore to help fight match-fixing – AFP-Sports Reporter.