Sisaket not involved in match-fixing, says club boss
SISAKET FC chairman Taneth Kuerat insisted his club has never been involved in match-fixing after one of its directors was among 12 people charged on Tuesday with the bribing of players to fix results and of match officials to violate the rules.
Taneth held a press conference to clear the air after Cherdsak Boonchu was detained and then released on bail two days ago along with five Thai League players, two referees and four more investors, in the first serious crackdown on match-fixing in Thai sports history.
“I have to apologise that an official from our team was allegedly involved in match-fixing. But I guarantee our club has nothing to do with such illegal behaviour and I fully support authorities in using extreme measures to punish these people if they are found guilty,” said Taneth.
The Sisaket chairman admitted he was shocked to see Cherdsak on the police list of suspects. He claimed Cherdsak had been recommended to the club a few years ago and the only available opening at the time was that of a director’s post.
His responsibilities included taking care of referees and officials and arranging their transportation.
However, Cherdsak has linked four Sisaket players with allegedly fixing results of the League Cup game against Ubon UMT United on July 26, which Sisaket lost 0-3. Taneth said he was unaware of any misconduct by the four players and would file legal action against anyone who tried to defame his reputation.
Meanwhile Asian Football Confederation president Salman bin Ebrahim Khalifa on Tuesday issued a statement in support of Thai football chief Somyot Poompanmoung’s efforts to resolve the issue of match-fixing.
“I congratulate the Football Association of Thailand for taking a firm stand against the menace of match-fixing and am more confident than ever before that our dedicated and joint efforts, together with law enforcement agencies, can bring this scourge to an end,” Khalifa said in the letter.
