FIFA Is Investigating Match-Fixing In Match B/W Nigeria And Argentina

Cheap flights To Lagos News: FIFA said previously that Argentina’s 4 – 1 defeat to Nigeria in friendly match is being investigated for possible match fixing. FIFA can prove that this match between Nigeria and Argentina was one that they had a lively interest in, as well as forms part of a wider ongoing FIFA investigation. Referee Ibrahim Chaibou of Niger awarded two controversial penalties in the match, Victor Obinna scoring for Nigeria in the 27th minute as well as Mauro Boselli scoring for Argentina deep into stoppage time with the last kick of the match. Manipulation of matches by betting rings has become a major concern for world soccer’s governing body FIFA as well as its European counterpart UEFA and both supervise thousands of matches for unusual gambling designs. Last month, FIFA set up collaboration with Interpol and announced it would donate 20 million Euros over the next 10 years to fight the problem. FIFA is at present investigating two international friendly matches played in Turkey in which seven penalties were awarded, one of them taken twice. The six match officials caught up have been suspended pending the outcome. FIFA has already tightened the rules around the arrangement of international friendly matches. Both FIFA and UEFA say that match fixers tend to target lower profile matches, frequently in the early qualifying rounds of European competition, lower division of national leagues to keep away from getting attention.