The Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) exposed this Tuesday a “corruption network” dedicated to match-fixing, and that involves “some” leaders, soccer players and referees, for which reason the paralysis of their first-class championships is being considered. and second division.
“Bolivian soccer is mortally wounded,” said the president of the FBF, Fernando Costa, at a press conference.
Costa denounced that network works with “match fixing, bribes (and) bets”, and that “former directors” are also involved in addition to “foreign tentacles”, although he did not give names or details of the evidence.
“We see that practically most of the clubs in the Professional Division and most of the clubs that are participating in the Simón Bolívar tournament (the promotion championship) have been drilled,” he said.
He also said that these acts have “contaminated” video arbitration or VAR, something that would explain the constant “bad arbitration” in the country’s top-flight championship and why it is presumed that “this tournament is flawed.”
“This president is not going to tolerate and he is not going to allow corruption to harm Bolivian soccer,” emphasized Costa.
The president of the FBF identified “two objectives” behind these facts as the economic benefit “illegitimately” and the intention to “damage the management” that he leads.
Costa called several meetings and an Ordinary Congress of the FBF in which he will propose the “suspension and stoppage” of the two first division championships along with the promotion championship.
Such an action could harm “the entire Bolivian soccer system,” which includes teams fighting for a spot in next year’s Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana and those that are on the “relegation line,” he said.
The complaints contain “very serious” information, for which reason the FBF commissioned a group of lawyers to analyze this evidence and later deliver this content to the Bolivian Prosecutor’s Office, which will be followed by “exemplary sanctions” in the sporting sphere, he added.
Costa indicated that a report has also been requested from a company designated by FIFA to monitor the matches and that once this report is received, it will be sent to Conmebol and the world soccer body itself.
“The consequences could be severe if it is confirmed that the tournament has been contaminated in terms of sports integrity and transparency,” he remarked.
The main tournament of the Professional Division competes 17 teams that have played between 22 and 24 games, with The Strongest, Paz leading with 49 points. That championship went into recess for the first day of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, the United States and Canada.
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2023-08-30 19:58:23
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