The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has knocked on the doors of the AIFF (All India Football Federation). Football match-fixing is being looked into by the CBI. After it was discovered that at least five Indian football clubs may have received “huge amounts of money” from an international fixer through shell firms.
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According to sources, the CBI is looking into allegations that match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal, who is based in Singapore, has invested in Indian clubs through Living 3D Holdings Ltd. Wilson has been convicted in Finland and Hungary and was first jailed for match-fixing in Singapore in 1995.
The notorious international match-fixer has been accused of fixing games at all levels, including the Olympics, World Cup qualifiers, women’s World Cup, CONCACAF Gold Cup, and African Cup of Nations.
“The AIFF has zero tolerance towards match-fixing and we have written to the clubs asking them to cooperate with the investigation,” AIFF secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran told TOI on Saturday. “There are concerns about investments made by shell companies linked to the fixer. We will do whatever is needed to ensure that Indian football has no links with anyone remotely connected with match-fixing.”
The CBI has also written to each club separately to request information on all contracts, sponsorships, as well as the companies engaged in the hiring of foreign athletes and technical staff.
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All five of the clubs under investigation competed in the I-League. When the Indian Super League or the ISL became the top-tier league, the I-League was relegated to the second tier.
The preliminary enquiry was filed by the probe agency CBI around a fortnight ago.
