Match fixing could lead to league freeze

Match fixing probe could lead to league freeze

From Ha`aretz
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Bosses of two lower league teams were beaming at IFA headquarters yesterday. One from the National League and another from the third division appeared to suggest there is a good chance the league structure is to change: the current 12-team divisions would be increased to 14, or even to 16 clubs, at the end of the current season.

The issue is not on the agenda of Israeli soccer's leading decision makers, but unofficially, it is about the only thing on people's minds.

The reason behind the move is not for positive reasons, but rather due to match-fixing allegations currently rife in the local soccer world. Police are said to have evidence of a broad network of illegal betting of top local soccer fixtures.

Hapoel Haifa defender Yisrael Cohen, currently under investigation for alleged match fixing, could hold the key to the situation. If charges are brought against him and others, clubs will call for a freeze of promotion and relegation, claiming that not only matches involving Hapoel Haifa, but also other matches may have been decided in an unsporting manner.

Ha'aretz reported Wednesday that the Haifa derby - in which Cohen became a clear suspect after committing several penalties in the game's dying moments, the last of which was awarded - is not the only match suspected to have been fixed. Police also claim to have evidence that match fixing goes far beyond that one match, but they are still not in a position to issue indictments.