Match-fixing in Goan football: Even a month later, GFA makes no headway

PANAJI: The Goa Football Association is yet to make any headway in its ‘match-fixing’ probe, a month after TOI front-paged the report and six months after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) opened Goa’s eyes to manipulations in the Goa Professional League.
On March 3, 2020, All India Football Federation’s integrity officer, Javed Siraj, sought an explanation from GFA on six matches played between October 16, 2019 and November 19, 2019, which according to Sportradar showed suspicious betting patterns.
The London-based Sportradar monitors betting odds, movements and patterns worldwide and identifies suspicious activities through a unique Fraud Detection System.
The GFA kept the match-fixing report hidden from everyone. Neither its executive committee members or the clubs involved were briefed. No action was taken. There was an ‘investigation’ but that eventually made the association see red after naming its own partners.
Siraj, a former CBI officer, said the ‘letter’ – and not an investigation report – sent by GFA on March 9, 2020, had no connection to match-fixing suspicions in the Goa Pro League.
On August 3, 2020, TOI front-paged the match-fixing report, detailing how AFC had red-flagged six matches, one of them highly suspicious. GFA then admitted it had the report for several months, but even a month after the world knew about the suspicious matches, there has been no action.
“People are being finalised. It’s not done yet. I think it’s almost agreed. All will be confirmed,” said GFA general secretary Jovito Lopes.
Lopes was responding to questions whether there was any progress on the inquiry committee that the GFA had promised to constitute to look specifically into the match-fixing suspicions. The five-member committee is to be headed by a retired judge.
According to sources, GFA is awaiting approval from its executive committee for the panel. Called the Ethics Committee, it’s being constituted under Article 48 of the GFA Constitution and will be headed by district judge (retired) Afonso Araujo.
The committee, which has four lawyers as members, has the approval of GFA president Churchill Alemao.
“The committee shall take charge with immediate effect and function till the end of the tenure of executive committee. The committee shall try to complete the investigation by December 2020,” Lopes wrote in a communication to all members.
Meanwhile, GFA said it has written to all Pro League clubs, seeking detailed information about officials and contracts, some of which may have been terminated mid-way into the competition.
“We have sent letters (through Speed Post) to all clubs, asking them for various information on contracts. Whether they had lodged police complaint, any one of them. They were given six days to respond but there were holidays, so some have asked for time,” said Lopes.
Some clubs like Calangute Association, Vasco Sports Club and Guardian Angel have responded to the GFA. Others are adopting a wait-and-watch approach, while at least a couple of them want to take legal opinion before responding.
Many observers are alarmed that match-fixing suspicions have not been treated with urgency, or seriousness it deserves.
Siraj had made it clear that “the report prima facie indicates that the matches, detailed in the report, were fixed,” while AFC said there was “clear and overwhelming betting evidence that the course or result of the match was unduly influenced with a view to gaining betting profits”.
GFA’s proposed Ethics Committee: District judge (retired) Afonso Araujo (chairman), Adv Dene Rosario (deputy chairman), Adv Kamlakant Raju Poulekar, Adv Mavlon Afonso, Adv Kiev Paes.