Corrupt football referees struck off for match-fixing in Georgia

UPDATED: Friday 00:54:

The Georgian Football Federation (GFF) referee department staff fully resigned last night. This happened after the eight football referees were detained for match-fixing in Georgia yesterday and have been permanently censured for their actions.

GFF said it would disseminate further information regarding the changes to be implemented in the federation’s referee department during the next few days.

The decision to censure the eight football referees for their actions was made at yesterday’s referees committee meeting, which was convened to discuss the case.

The Georgian Football Federation demanded the Interior Minister to identify everyone who made illegal deals with the detained referees.

President of the Football Federation Zviad Sichinava did not rule out the possibility that some football players could also have taken part in the illegal deals. This was why he believed it was important to establish exactly who participated in the deals.

"This is a crime. […] The [Interior] Ministry’s statement said citizens had made deals with the referees. We wonder who these citizens were. We want to know who was behind all this,’’ Sichinava said at today’s briefing.

He noted the illegal scheme was revealed through a joint operation between the Georgian Football Federation and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The eight referees were arrested by police in relation to a match-fixing scandal in Georgia yesterday. Seven of the arrested men were national or first category referees while one was a FIFA umpire.

EARLIER: Wednesday 18:35:

Police have arrested eight football referees in a match-fixing scandal in Georgia.

Seven of the arrested men were national or first category referees while one was a FIFA arbiter.

It is alleged the accused made agreements with fans regarding the number of red and yellow cards to be shown during matches. In return, the arbiters would receive up to $5,000 USD cash for each game.

Using this scheme, fans were able to knowingly bet on how many cards were issued during each football game, thus winning money through illegal means.

The investigation is being launched relating to commercial bribery committed by a group, which under Georgian law could lead to a prison sentence from four to six years.

The Investigation was conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Anti-Corruption Agency.

The Agency said they had more information that showed other umpires were engaged in the same illegal match-fixing scheme. An investigation into their actions is still in progress.