On the 4th of April, 380 players from the Perak Football Association took a pledge to stay away from corruption.
The ceremony was graced by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Deputy Commissioner Datuk Azam Baki, who was there to witness the event.
Upon the completion of the ceremony, Deputy Commissioner Datuk Azam Baki confessed that a few Malaysian League players are currently under the MACC radar for investigations.
“I can confirm that we are monitoring several players and once we have concrete evidence we will charge them.” Bernama quoted him as saying, after integrity pledge.
“This is a warning to all of you to better stop such activities.”
“There are certain people maybe MACC cannot detect but once we know we will investigate and the implication after that can result in a life ban.” Datuk Azam Baki added.
The Deputy Commissioner added that MACC takes bribery and match fixings very seriously, and players could face severe consequences if found guilty. Based on MACC’s research so far, players usually resort to those due to pressure from bookies.
“Bookies will try to be associated with players in various ways so it is best for players to stay away from them.”
Datuk Azam Baki also urged players and officials to approach MACC and inform them immediately if they are contacted by the bookies.
Match fixing is a problem that every sport in the world has encountered and trying to eradicate. In Malaysia, match-fixing is often attributed to the downfall of Malaysian football.
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