KUALA LUMPUR: Financial issues are not the major factor when it comes to professional athletes getting involved in match-fixing or betting activities.
Sports observer Sadek Mustaffa said this when asked to comment on two Malaysians banned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) over their involvement in betting.
He said the athletes' behaviour usually gets them into trouble in this matter.
"When they are international-level athletes, they should not have any issues with finances as they would have sponsors and prize money from tournament wins," Sadek told Timesport.
"So the issue is that the athletes have been involved in betting from early on, and this exposes them to match-fixing.
"Also, as long as there is online gambling, athletes from all sports are open to match-fixing."
On Friday, BWF banned former national player Liew Daren for 12 months and National Sports Institute analyst Jerry Gan for three months after they were found guilty of involvement in betting-related activities from 2018 to 2021.
A similar scandal rocked the country's badminton scene in 2018 when former players Zulfadli Zulkiffli and Tan Chun Seang were banned by BWF for 20 and 15 years, respectively for match-fixing.