Results of some I-League matches raise eyebrows in AIFF

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) Thursday admitted that results of some matches have raised suspicion about the spirit of those encounters in the I-League.

AIFF, however, said nothing could be done due to lack of evidence in these cases.

AIFF vice-president Subrata Dutta said the result of some I-League matches had raised eyebrows in the federation but since no concrete evidence was found, nothing could be proved.

"Some unusual high scoring matches in the I-League had raised our eyebrows but no evidence was found as there was no effective investigative mechanism to check whether it was fixed or not," Dutta said on the sidelines of a workshop on corruption in football organised by FIFA and Interpol.

Wednesday, FIFA's anti-corruption officials had reportedly raised doubts on the infamous 2011 I-League match between Dempo Sports Club and Air India that the former won 14-0.

"At the same time there is no reason to believe the matches were not played in the right spirit just because 10 or 14 goals were scored," he said.

The AIFF is planning to set up an Anti Corruption and Security Unit very soon to tackle cases of match fixing in football.

Meanwhile, international police organisation Interpol said the Indian government should bring effective legislation to curb match fixing in Indian sports.

Interpol Steering Group Chairman John Abbot said legislation needs to be up to date in terms of not just rules on the offences committed but also to have investigative powers and enable the people to do their jobs.

Abbot praised the International Cricket Council (ICC) for having an effective system in place to tackle corruption.

"My advice to the Indian government would be that without effective legislation and proper investigating powers, match fixing cannot be tackled. Football and other sports should learn from what happened in cricket. The ICC now has stringent rules in place and the effective measures have ensured that the players are able to recognise, resist and report match fixing approaches," said Abbot.

Abbot said there is an increasing global threat of match fixing in all sports, including football and the FIFA World Cup, 2014.