Moldovan football has been dealt a major blow after one of its top division clubs,Dinamo-Auto, has been suspended after allegations that two of its players have been involved in match fixing.
The club, which was founded only in 2009, has said in a statement that they have always adhered to the principles of fair play and that they want to protect the integrity of the game. The investigation will go on for a couple of months, but the club have failed to disclose the names of the individuals who have been alleged to have been involved in the malpractice.
Match fixing is a major issue in some of the lesser-known leagues in Europe and across the world. FIFA has been very strict in this issue and punishments have always been hefty. If found guilty,Dinamo-Auto could very well be out of the Moldovan league. As much as 12 players were investigated by the Moldovan National Anti-Corruption Agency as part of the allegations. The match fixing incident is said to have occurred in the league match betweenDinamo-Auto Tiraspol and one of the top teams in the division – Dacia Chisinau. The latter managed to win the game 6-2. If found guilty, the two players could be facing a maximum sentence of around 10 years in jail.
"For the management of Dinamo-Auto, it's always been and will be important to observe the principles of fair play.We condemn all attacks on the integrity of the game and we urge all, who care about football, to protect it from various negative influences and manipulation," said a statement from the club. "Prosecutors have gathered evidence that they had tried to bribe a Moldovan Football Federation's vice-president with $50,000 to help fixing a match which had to be played abroad," said the anticorruption agency.