The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a preliminary enquiry into an alleged match-fixing case in the Indian football paradigm and suspected irregularities in the investments of football clubs. According to fresh reports, CBI recently paid a visit to the All-Indian Football Federation (AIFF) headquarters in Delhi and sought more data on five football clubs under investigation.
The CBI also seeks further information about club investments in the alleged match-fixing case. According to a report published in mint, a match-fixer identified as Wilson Raj Perumal, based in Singapore, investing in Indian clubs through Living 3D Holdings Limited is being investigated by the CBI. Notably, Wilson was previously imprisoned for match-fixing in Singapore in 1995 and had prior convictions in Finland and Hungary.
"As the probe is at a very initial stage, CBI has received documents and sought the cooperation of several Indian football clubs in joining the investigation." a source told ANI. Earlier, Goa Professional League was previously linked with match-fixing allegations in 2020.
As per Global, six matches played in the tournament during the 2019-20 season were red flagged by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for manipulation. The matches held between October 16 and November 19, 2019 have been linked with clear and overwhelming betting evidence, which led to the games being influenced to gain betting profits.
The clubs involved are Calangute Association, Panjim Footballers, Guardian Angel Sports Club, FC Goa II, Dempo SC, Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa. In their response to AIFF integrity officer Jovito Lopes, Goa Football Association named a company linked to an online betting site but said GFA has no confirmation about the match-fixing.
