The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) today refused to comment on the authenticity of the match-fixing allegation in the recent Azlan Shah hockey tournament match between India and Malaysia and said the police were investigating the matter.
“We have sent the case to the police and they are looking into it. We do not know if it is true,” said Hashim Mohammad Yusof, secretary of the MHF. Asked if the allegations were true, Hashim refused to comment, saying, “We cannot comment until the final results are out and the police gives us approval.”
Earlier in the week, a local afternoon daily Malay Mail had reportedly that several Malaysian players were involved in online betting about the outcome of their match against India which they lost 1-2. “Based on that article, the MHF lodged a police report and are conducting their own investigation,” the paper claimed.
International Hockey Federation (FIH) President, Els van Breda Vriesman, in an email to Malay Mail, said yesterday that the FIH has heard of such allegation for the first time and complimented the MHF for reporting the matter to the police.