GENEVA: FIFA launched disciplinary proceedings Thursday against six match officials suspected of helping to fix two international games in a betting scam. Football's governing body said the games were the Bolivia vs. Latvia and Estonia vs. Bulgaria friendlies played in the Turkish city of Antalya on Feb. 9. All seven goals in the two matches were scored from penalty kicks. “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 in a statement. FIFA said no date has been set for its disciplinary committee to hear the cases. Privacy rules meant FIFA would not the identify the officials or their nationality, it said. Last month, Hungary's football federation said it had suspended officials Kolos Lengyel, Krisztian Selmeczi and Janos Csak for handling the Estonia vs. Bulgaria game without permission. Suspicions were raised when refereeing decisions were responsible for all the goals as Latvia beat Bolivia 2-1 and Estonia and Bulgaria played out a 2-2 draw. One of the penalties was ordered to be retaken after the initial spot kick was missed. The games were played in a near-empty Antalya stadium with meager television coverage, adding to concerns that organizers intended to profit from placing bets on fixed outcomes. German magazine Stern reported Wednesday that data obtained from betting operators showed at least $6.9 million was wagered on the Estonia vs. Bulgaria match. Officials from all four national teams complained to FIFA, with the Bolivia federation asking FIFA President Sepp Blatter for “an exhaustive investigation.” Bolivia also canceled its scheduled return visit to Turkey this month for matches against Finland and Bulgaria. FIFA asked the federations for their observations to help in its investigation. The games were organized, and the match officials chosen, by a Thailand-based agency called Footy Sport International which used a FIFA-licensed agent from Russia to arrange the doubleheader. FIFA rules state that only authorized agents can arrange games between teams from different continents.
