Australian police have busted an alleged football match-fixing ring centred upon a team playing in the second tier of the Australian league.
Six individuals have been charged with five counts under the state’s recently introduced match-fixing laws after global data analysts Sportradar tipped off the Football Federation of Australia about suspicious wagering in Asia on five matches involving the Southern Stars Football Club. None of the suspicious activity is understood to have taken place on locally regulated websites.
Southern Stars has shipped 54 goals while losing 16 of 21 games since the start of the season, drawing four, leaving them rock-bottom of the Victorian Premier League. Southern Stars’ only victory came against the top side in the division.
Police are alleging the outcomes of five games since 21 July were manipulated under instruction from match-fixers based in Hungary and Malaysia, The Age reports. Police had made 10 arrests after analysing some 447 intercepted phone calls.
Malaysian-national Gerry Gsubramaniam was charged in a Melbourne court today with five counts under the state’s match-fixing laws. He is accused of acting as a bridge between staff of the Southern Stars Football Club and an international match fixing syndicate. Police believe the match-fixing ring has generated more than AU$2m in winnings for the syndicate.
The five individuals associated with the club who were charged include two English players, goalkeeper Joe Woolley and outfield player Reiss Noel.
The Canberra Times has suggesting police are investigating if seasoned match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal orchestrated the recruitment of the British professional players during their off-season to represent Southern Stars, in order to manipulate the outcome of games down under. Perumal was turned over to Hungarian police last year to assist with investigations into local match-fixing, after serving a year in a Finnish jail.
Gsubramaniam has been detailed in custody and will reappear in court on Friday. The Southern Stars players have been bailed and are also due to appear in court on Friday.
Independent Senator Nick Xenophon, elected on a no pokies and anti-gambling ticket, has renewed calls for anti-match-fixing laws in the wake of the scandal, declaring that ”urgent reform is needed to tackle this cancer on Australian sport.”
Article written by Katy Stirland
