Football's K-League to seek information from players suspected of match fixing

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea, May 31 (Yonhap) -- Mired in a match-fixing scandal involving its active players, South Korea's top football league vowed on Tuesday to get tougher on players suspected of participation in match fixing. At the start of a two-day seminar here, about 180 kilometers east of Seoul, designed to help the league restore the public's faith, K-League officials and team representatives said players who come under suspicion of attempting to throw matches will be asked to voluntarily hand over their bank transaction records and phone call logs, among other related information. "Players will be asked to sign a form, and they will be asked to submit these records and more," said Park Yong-chul, a spokesman for the K-League. The widening match-fixing scandal has seen five active players get arrested on charges of taking money from gambling brokers and allegedly making mistakes to let their teams lose, thus helping gamblers win money by betting against their teams. One former K-Leaguer, Jeong Jong-kwan, was found dead Monday in an apparent suicide, having left a note claiming his involvement in match-fixing schemes. Park said the league didn't want to infringe upon players' basic rights and thus won't force them to turn over information. But he acknowledged that the new measure does have its loopholes, since it'd be difficult to trace cash transactions. "We're aware of problems, but our goal is to secure as much power as we can within boundaries and pressure suspected players," Park added. "We will work on more details with general managers, coaches and players during the rest of our seminar." The league convened an emergency workshop, with about 1,000 league and team representatives on hand, to discuss ways to root out match fixing and illegal betting in pro football. The program includes lectures on the fallout of match fixing and on how to fight off temptations. In his opening remarks, Chung Mong-gyu, the league commissioner, said everyone in pro football must come together to eradicate the problem. "The true loyalty is not about covering up corruption of teammates," Chung said. "It's about saving them from dark temptations."