Three amateur football teams offered bribes for score-fixing: official

SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Yonhap) -- At least three teams in South Korea's top amateur
football league have been offered large kickbacks by Chinese gamblers for fixing
match scores, an official said Monday.
The revelation by Jang Won-jik, chief supervisor of the K3 League, came after
police said last week that they nabbed five players on suspicion of having
manipulated matches since July after taking cash bribes from a Chinese gambler.
"We're closely watching the probe," Jang said at a news conference, disclosing
that he heard of such practices in July, but simply ordered the club managers to
notify local investigative authorities.
Ryu Bong-ki, who coaches a team in the city of Yangju just north of Seoul, said
he was offered a deal but spurned it immediately.
"The gamblers offered a hefty sum," he said, suggesting the caller appeared to
understand the financial difficulties that are common among South Korea's amateur
teams.
The K3 league is run by the Korean Football Association, the sport's top
governing body here that also runs professional and semi-professional leagues.
There are a total of sixteen K3 squads.
Jang, the supervisor, said no separate probe by the KFA is planned, but penalties
are being drafted to prevent similar breaches.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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