File photo of Kalyan Chaubey.
All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey on Wednesday asked Anti-Corruption Bureau chief Madhur Verma for an in-depth investigation of the match-fixing allegations in the Delhi Premier League. Chaubey highlighted 11 suspicious matches and wants immediate action against the clubs suspected to be involved in fixing games. The AIFF said it has taken a serious view of these incidents. Suspicions of betting and match-fixing came to light in a Delhi league match on Monday when Ahbab FC, who were winning 4-0, conceded two dubious-looking own goals late in the match against Rangers FC. Ahbab FC won the match 4-2.
The video footage of the two own goals went viral, leading to the AIFF summoning Football Delhi chief Anuj Gupta to seek details of the suspicious match and serving him notice.
Earlier, the AIFF had held an emergency meeting on February 19 to “assess the gravity of the situation”, after which the federation had decided to approach the ACB unit for full investigation.
In Wednesday’s hour-long meeting, Chaubey briefed the ACB head on the incidents.
Verma acknowledged that his unit has received inputs from various sources, including the AIFF and Delhi Soccer Association (DSA) about such activities in Delhi Premier Football League.
The bureau has asked for some more documents and videos of the 11 matches, after which an in-depth inquiry will be carried out into the allegations and all culprits will be brought to book.
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