Thai Football Association President Worawi Makudi said Thursday he was "shocked" over a reported attempt to rig last year's Thai FA Cup final, and vowed to root out any corruption in Thai football.
A Japanese referee who officiated in the final in November between Buriram United and Army United has told FIFA that he was approached to rig the match, which Buriram won 2-1, Thai news reports have said.
"I can say I was shocked because in Thailand we have never seen such practices before," he told AFP at a meeting between Interpol and world football officials in Kuala Lumpur to discuss match-fixing.
"I will try to get rid of this kind of malpractice. I will try to eliminate this kind of practice," Worawi said.
However, he declined to reveal any further information on the match-rigging allegation, saying he would first discuss the allegations with officials of world football's governing body FIFA.
But he said new laws targeting match-fixing would be introduced in Thailand "very soon" and would include "harsh" jail sentence and fines.
Ralf Mutschke, FIFA's director of security, told AFP on the sidelines of the meeting that FIFA was confident of Thailand's ability to address the issue.
He called for disciplinary measures or possibly criminal proceedings if the allegations were found to be true.
"They are capable and know what to do," he said of the Thai FA, adding that "match-fixing is harming the game" globally.
Match-fixing in football has emerged as a serious threat to the integrity of the game in Asia, where both football and gambling are highly popular, while the rise of online gambling has added to the mix.
Major game-rigging scandals have emerged in Malaysia, South Korea and China in recent years.
But the issue is in the global spotlight as well, after European police agency Europol said recently 380 suspicious games have been identified in Europe among nearly 700 worldwide, including Champions League ties and World Cup qualifiers.
AFP
Thu Feb 21 2013
Hospital UMS bakal beroperasi pada tahun 2026
Hospital Universiti Malaysia Sabah (HUMS) yang sedang dalam proses pembinaan bakal beroperasi pada bulan Januari 2026
LLB beri amaran jangan hampiri pantai, R&R Bagan Ajam
Berikutan kejadian yang berlaku pada tengah hari Selasa, pihak Lebuhraya Lingkaran Luar Butterworth (LLB) memberi amaran kepada orang ramai agar tidak menghampiri kawasan pantai di situ kerana cuaca yang sangat tidak baik dan keadaan ombak yang tinggi.
Hujan lebat: Rakyat Perlis dinasihatkan berwaspada - MB
Hujan lebat disusuli angin kencang melanda beberapa kawasan sekitar Perlis pada Selasa menyebabkan pokok tumbang, selain gangguan bekalan elektrik.
Jumlah mangsa banjir melebihi 2,000 orang, 11 PPS dibuka
Situasi banjir di Kedah makin memburuk selepas bilangan mangsa mencecah 2,180 orang mangsa daripada 385 keluarga yang ditempatkan di 11 pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS).
Ahli GISB dituduh di Mahkamah Putrajaya pada Rabu
Berdasarkan pemakluman kepada media, individu terbabit akan didakwa di bawah Seksyen 506 Kanun Keseksaan di Mahkamah Putrajaya pada Rabu.
Melaka dalam proses wartakan lima lagi ajaran sebagai sesat
Kerajaan Melaka dalam proses mewartakan lima lagi ajaran dan kegiatan baharu sebagai sesat.
PRK Mahkota: Syed Hussien enggan tabur janji bulan dan bintang, ingin kekal semangat kekeluargaan
Syed Hussien berazam ingin terus mengekalkan semangat kekeluargaan yang dinikmati penduduk di DUN Mahkota.
Meteorit Marikh ditemukan di Antartika dipamerkan di Ekspo Osaka 2025
Ditemukan pada 2000, meteorit itu telah tercampak ke angkasa lepas akibat kesan asteroid di permukaan Marikh.
Perang di Gaza perlu dihentikan, tiada pendudukan semula Israel - Kamala Harris
Calon Presiden AS gesa gencatan senjata serta penyelesaian dua negara dan kestabilan Asia Barat dengan cara yang tidak memperkasakan Iran.
Malaysia-Brazil bekerjasama rebut peluang pasaran halal bernilai AS$3 trilion - Timbalan Menteri
Transaksi pertanian antara kedua-dua negara telah berada dalam aliran menaik sehingga mencecah RM6.4 bilion pada 2023.