Ex Nigeria international, Dickson Etuhu handed 5-year ban.

Former Nigerian international Dickson Etuhu has been banned from all football activity for five years for match-fixing. The ex-Manchester City midfielder was found guilty of offering a goalkeeper around £180,000 to fix a match between IFK Gothenburg and AIK in May 2017. The Court of Appeal in Stockholm said it was clear that Etuhu and another player, Alban Jusifi, tried to influence the keeper.

Also Read: No match is worth risking a single human life -FIFA president, Gianni Infantino warns against leagues rushing back.

The Swedish Football Association said in a statement it had banned Etuhu and Jusufi for “deliberately trying to persuade an Allsvenskan player to under-perform in one of their team’s matches. The Disciplinary Board has decided to suspend two people because they have deliberately tried to persuade a football player to underperform in one of the team’s matches. Through their actions, these people have violated the anti-match fixing regulations, and they are therefore suspended for five years. The ban includes training, competing or performing any assignments in any sports.”

Etuhu, who also played for Sunderland, Preston, Blackburn and Fulham, made 33 appearances for Nigeria between 2007 and 2011, including twice at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2008 and 2010 as well as the World Cup in South Africa.

Ghanaian referee banned for life, for match-fixing

FIFA Disciplinary Committee has banned Ghana’s referee Joseph Odartei Lamptey for life for match- fixing after he awarded a controversial penalty to South Africa during their World Cup qualifier with Senegal last year.

Lamptey who awarded the home side a spot-kick in the 43rd minute of the match in Polokwane on November 12 as the South African club beat Senegal 2-1 was found guilty of “unlawfully influencing match results”. Senegalese players protested his decision to award a  wrong penalty given for handball against Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
He was banned by The Confederation of African Football (CAF) for three months.
“Further information concerning the South Africa v Senegal match in question will be provided once the decision becomes final and binding, FIFA follows a zero-tolerance policy on match manipulation and is committed to protecting the integrity of football. 
“As a result, FIFA will continue with its ongoing efforts to combat match manipulation through a variety of initiatives, which include the monitoring of international betting and a confidential reporting system with a dedicated integrity hotline and e-mail address.” a FIFA statement read.

Linesman claims he has been told to influence next month's El Clasico in Madrid's favour

El Clasico, the game between Real Madrid and Barcelona, is at the centre of a match-fixing storm
A pre-designated
linesman has claimed that he has been told to influence next month’s el Clasico
in Real Madrid’s favour. The linesman whose name was not reported in the news
when it first broke in Spain for fear of reprisal said the request was made via phone call which unfortunately was not recorded.
He was asked
to call back and record the conversation but he said the alleged calls were
made through the switch board. He identified two persons behind the calls; a
match official and a member of the Spanish Football Federation’s referees.
He had
wanted to go public with the allegations but he was persuaded by his lawyer to
make a formal, legal statement to the anti-corruption investigating magistrate.
 
Reacting to the news, Barcelona
vice-president, Susana Monje said, “I
have no idea where they come from. It is like something out of a Kafka novel. I
hope it does not prove to be true. We will possibly discuss at it a meeting of
the board. All I can say at the moment is that if it is confirmed, it will be
dangerous story in terms of the prestige of La Liga.”

 “This is an extremely serious
accusation and is extraordinarily alarming. This needs to be resolved as soon
as possible. We cannot be talking about threats without knowing who is it. No
one should be scared. It cannot be reasonable that in 2015 someone can fear
reprisals for making an accusation like this.”
Miguel Cardenal, the
Spanish secretary of state for sport added.

Fans win legal suit against club for fixing a game and get €400 each as damages

Fans who attended Bari’s 2-0 home defeat to Lecce in Serie A on May 15, 2011, have been awarded €400 each in damages after it was proven that the game had been fixed. A class action lawsuit was brought against the two clubs by a group of supporters who felt betrayed by the result. Their efforts have been successful, with the judge of the Tribunal of Bari ruling that their “sporting passion had been ruined” that day, decreeing that each of the spectators present at the Stadio San Nicola will be awarded damages.
The costs will be covered by those found guilty of rigging the game, including defender Andrea Masiello, who is currently on the books at Atalanta.
“The fans saw their own sporting values mutated in a way that damaged their habitual life,” the judge, Valeria Spagnoletti, said in quotes reported in the media.
To receive the damages, each fan is required to provide a copy of Masiello’s admission to having fixed the game in addition to further proof, such as the match ticket, that they were at the stadium.
Masiello admitted in November that he had agreed with Lecce management to arrange for them to win the game. He was due to earn €300,000 for his involvement, although only €200,000 was actually paid. By winning the game, Lecce avoided relegation to Serie B.
“In the first half, we played well, like we wanted to win,” he said last year. “But inside me, the necessity of making the team due to the amount of money I had been promised was weighing me down. Unpleasant things happened and I know this and am ashamed of it.”
Spagnoletti said this action had “betrayed” the fans, who had launched a class action led by a solicitor, Luca Maggi — himself a Bari fan who attended that game.
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