OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Tuesday 11.45am.
SOUTH African soccer league officials will meet in Johannesburg on Tuesday to discuss match-fixing allegations that threaten the country’s bid to host the World Cup finals in 2006.
First division club City Sharks are alleged to have been paid R7000 rand to throw a game against Dynamos, a team fighting for promotion to the country’s professional Premier League.
A further R3000 was promised to the club by Dynamos owner Peter Rabali, PSL press officer Andrew Dipela said on Tuesday.
Sharks officials handed over the R7000 in cash to Premier Soccer League officials on Monday, whose board of governors meet on Tuesday to discuss the matter.
Rabali has been given a summons to appear before the board.
Last month, the league official in charge of running the first division, which is divided into two geographical zones, was suspended on suspicion of taking bribes.
Allegations of corruption in the lower echelons of South African football are endemic but little action has been taken.
Long-standing allegations that Premier League club Classic bought their way to promotion last season were referred by the Premier Soccer League to the South African Football Association for investigation but no action has been taken to date, nine months into the next season.
South Africa’s Premier League offers substantial financial rewards for clubs, who benefit from a share of television and sponsorship revenue but there are meagre financial incentives in the lower leagues, making the fight for promotion a hotly-contested affair. — Reuters