ALOR STAR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has launched an investigation into allegations of match-fixing involving Kedah football team members following the squad's failure to defend the Malaysia Cup recently.
A source with Kedah MACC confirmed that the Commission has initiated a probe into the players based on a Facebook post by a Lang Merah (Kedah football team) fan, claiming that six players and the team’s head coach, Nidzam Adha Yusoff, were involved in match-fixing.
"The MACC has yet to receive any official report on the allegation, but we have carried out a preliminary investigation,” said the source.
It is learnt that six individuals have been called up to give their statements.
The claim surfaced after Kedah lost to Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) in the Malaysia Cup final in Shah Alam on Nov 4.
It was reported that Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah, who is also the Kedah Football Association (KFA) president, had confirmed that the MACC had called up the team’s players to facilitate a preliminary probe.
Earlier, the Facebook poster who first made the match-fixing claim had named the six players and the squad coach who had allegedly deliberately failed to retain the Malaysia Cup title.
It was also reported that Nidzam subsequently lodged a report at the USJ Subang Jaya police station on Thursday to clear his name.
Describing the allegation against him and the six players as “baseless”, Nidzam urged the police to carry out a swift investigation to protect his and the six players’ reputations.