Match fixing in the Sea Games

The Southeast Asian Games is long over, Vietnam finished second again to Thailand. However, all is not over for Vietnam as the team and get this, a sportswriter, is being investigated for Match Fixing

Here's a report from the Associated Press

HANOI, Vietnam -- Four members of the Vietnam's national soccer team will be questioned by police over allegations of match-fixing during this month's Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines, local media reported Tuesday.

Chief investigator Pham Xuan Quac of the Ministry of Public Security issued summons for the four players - striker Pham Van Quyen and defenders Nguyen Hai Lam, Le Van Truong and Le Bat Hieu, the Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported.

The four will be required to show up for questioning Wednesday, confirmed a ministry official who declined to give his name. No further details were given. The players are accused of receiving tens of thousands of dollars in payments from Vietnamese gamblers to fix matches against Myanmar and Malaysia, the newspaper said.

Vietnam defeated Myanmar 1-0, and advanced to the semifinal round to beat Malaysia 2-1. However, it lost 3-0 in the championship match to regional powerhouse Thailand.

All the players have denied involvement, the newspaper said. A Vietnamese sports writer was also summoned for questioning for being an alleged broker in the deal.

Nguyen Trong Hy, chairman of Vietnam Football Federation, was quoted in Tuesday's
Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper as saying he had hoped that severe punishments for bribery and match-fixing in several recent soccer scandals this year would have proved a deterrent.

"Everyone should have seen the lessons. I thought our footballers should be afraid but I might be wrong," he said.

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