KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – Four players have been banned for life for match-fixing at the AFC Cup, the Asian Football Confederation said Friday.
Kursanbek Sheratov from Kyrgyzstan was found guilty of fixing a match involving his club Dordoi FC in the 2017 AFC Cup, Asia’s second-tier continental competition.
He also supported betting activity related to the game, the AFC added.
Kyrgyz players Vladimir Verevkin and Iliaz Alimov were found guilty of fixing one or more matches involving their side FC Alay.
And Tajikistan’s Abduaziz Mahkamov manipulated AFC Cup matches involving FC Alay in 2017 and 2018.
The AFC said the punishments, handed down by its disciplinary and ethics committee, showed its ”zero-tolerance approach” to match-fixing.
Meanwhile, Turkmenistan international Muhadov Suleyman was banned for four years for a doping violation at this year’s Asian Cup, the AFC said.
REF HURT IN FAN CHAOS
In Paris, Romanian side Universitatea Craiova advanced to the third qualifying round of the Europa League on Thursday despite their fans causing their clash with Honved to be suspended by striking the referee with an object thrown from the stands.
The goalless tie was heading into extra time in Craiova when a brawl broke out between both sets of players, during which a smoke bomb landed and detonated near Northern Irish match official Arnold Hunter.
Images from Romanian broadcaster Digisport appear to show Hunter being hit by something thrown from the crowd, after which the match was suspended for over half an hour as the 39-year-old was treated and then left the field amid confusion over the outcome of the match.
Eventually the fourth official restarted play with just one minute of extra-time to play, and with the match finishing with no scorers, Craiova came out on top 3-1 in the penalty shootout.
However reports from Romania suggest that the match was only finished because local police couldn’t guarantee the safety of officials and Honved players in the event of the match being called off.
