FIFA yesterday opened disciplinary proceedings against six referees and match officials amid an investigation into match-fixing in two international friendlies.
World football’s governing body was alerted to unusual betting patterns on two games, Bolivia-Latvia and Estonia-Bulgaria, both played in Antalya, Turkey last month.
“The proceedings were opened following an evaluation of all documentation and information received by FIFA, in relation to a possible match-fixing situation in these matches,” FIFA said.
Both games were organised by a Thai company that holds rights to organise matches and they were refereed by three Hungarians who do not feature on the list of FIFA’s international referees.
Estonia drew 2-2 against Bulgaria and Bolivia beat Latvia 2-1. All seven goals were scored through penalties. FIFA have demanded a detailed report on the matches from both the Bulgarian and Estonian football federations.