FOOTBALL chiefs in Armenia have suspended their second tier and handed out 45 lifetime bans for huge scale match-fixing.
The scandal has brought down professional football in the former Soviet country.
One of the football stadiums in Yerevan in ArmeniaCredit: Sportsfile – Subscription
Suspicious results flagged up by the FFA included 12-0, 0-12, 1-8 and 9-2 for Lokomotiv Yerevan.
About 45 people, including club owners, players and coaches, have been slapped with life bans.
Another 13 were banned for different periods for being involved in manipulation of matches, the FFA said.
Club owners with Russian passports, Russian players and coaches, as well as Ukrainian, Latvian and Belarusian footballers were among those banned, local newspapers in Armenia claim.
Following some crazy results, Lokomotiv Yerevan, level on points with second division leaders FC Van, as well as Aragats, Torpedo Yerevan and Masis were disqualified from the championship.
Locomotiv’s strangest result saw them lose 12-0 after winning 12-0. They also won 9-2 and 8-2 but lost 0-7, 0-8 and 1-8.
FC Yerevan were also disqualified for match-fixing.
But they had withdrawn from the 2019-20 Premier League in February due to financial and technical problems.
FFA President Armen Melikbekyan said: “The decisions were made after the FFA received undeniable evidence from international organisations and law enforcement agencies.
“The evidence that we received from our international colleagues will be transferred to the Armenian law enforcement agencies.”
Melikbekyan had vowed transparent FFA leadership after his election victory in December – and both Fifa and Uefa had welcomed his appointment to try and clean up the scandal.
Local media has reported widespread match-fixing and corruption in Armenia for years.
Melikbekyan said: “Our goal is to eradicate corruption and the system of fixed games in the Armenian football.
“This process, however, does not end. The Expert Group created by the FFA will continue to work to identify all possible adverse events.”
Man City’s Bernardo Silva refuses to clap for Liverpool in guard of honour
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
