KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - The Asian Football Confederation has provisionally suspended four Laos players for 60 days as it investigates allegations of match manipulation dating as far back as 2010.
The AFC issued a statement Monday saying Saynakhonevieng Phommapanya, Chintana Souksavath, Moukda Souksavath, Phatthana Syvilay were suspended “for various violations of the disciplinary code and code of ethics related to suspected match manipulation.”
All players participated in Laos’ first match of the ongoing Solidarity Cup, a 2-1 win over Sri Lanka on Nov. 3. Moukda Souksavath scored the opening goal of the match in the 58th minute.
“As their ongoing participation provided a direct threat to the integrity of the competition, the Deputy Chairman acted accordingly on Saturday,” the AFC said.
The sport’s continental governing body has broadened the investigation beyond the seven-team Solidarity Cup, saying the provisional suspensions relate to suspected manipulation of multiple matches committed by the representative teams of Laos since 2010.
The AFC said the investigation, in conjunction with FIFA’s integrity unit and Sportradar, is not limited to the players who are provisionally suspended.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.