Nepali police have arrested five current and former national football players on suspicions of match fixing, including in the World Cup qualifiers four years ago, police said today.
Police arrested national team captain Sagar Thapa, footballers Sandip Rai and Ritesh Thapa, and two former players Bikash Singh Chhetri and Anjan KC on Wednesday for alleged involvement in match fixing spanning eight years.
"We've recorded banking transactions amounting to millions between them and international match fixers, including those in Malaysia and Singapore," Sarbendra Khanal, chief of Metropolitan Police Crime Division in Kathmandu, told AFP.
Khanal said that they suspect match fixing in 2011 World Cup qualifiers and even in friendly matches.
"Our investigations will continue and we are discussing what charges they will face," he said.
The arrests come a year after Nepal's powerful football chief Ganesh Thapa temporarily stepped down from his post after allegations emerged he embezzled millions of dollars and accepted bribes during his 19-year tenure.
The FIFA Ethics Committee launched an investigation last year into Thapa, a former Asian Football Confederation vice president, with a decision still pending.
