Former Vietnamese player arrested
HANOI - A former player from a major Vietnamese soccer team was arrested as part of a continuing police investigation into bribery in the sport, state-controlled media reported Wednesday. Truong Tan Hai, a former striker for V-League team Saigon Port and now a referee, was taken into police custody near Hanoi on Tuesday, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper said.
Hai was accused of receiving 100 million dong ($6,250; euro5,290) in 2000 from Nguyen Huu Thang, former coach of rival team Song Lam Nghe An, to secure that team's championship title in 2000-2001, it said. Thang was arrested in January for alleged bribery in the same case.
The newspaper quoted Pham Huynh Tam Lang, Saigon Port's then-coach, as saying he was unaware of the match fixing.
"I affirm that I did not take any money, even a penny, from Song Lam Nghe An and did not receive any offer," Lang said.
Police declined to comment on the arrest Wednesday.
The arrest was the latest blow to Vietnamese soccer, which has been plagued in recent months with revelations of match fixing and bribery, with scores of players, officials and referees implicated in multiple scandals
In December, four players from the Vietnamese national team, including star striker Pham Van Quyen, were arrested for alleged match fixing during the Southeast Asian Games held at the Philippines late last year.
The Associated Press - March 8, 2006.
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