The issue of illegal betting hits Tunisian football

Majdi Al-Saidi-Tunisia

The issue of illegal betting of a Tunisian league match has opened wide controversy and the credibility of Tunisian football and the integrity of the league have been put to the test following talk of match-fixing suspicions last season.

Tunisian and French media reports that three Tunisians were arrested by a French court in an illegal betting case did not have a strong bounce in Tunisian football circles that amounted to suspicion of manipulating the outcome of a league match that was a bet on a French betting site. .

Last week, three Tunisians, including the nephew of the president of the Tunisian Football Federation's jury, were arrested by the French judiciary for questioning over their involvement in illegal betting on the April 7th, Beni Guerdane and Metlaoui match.

According to private information obtained by Al Jazeera Net, the French judiciary continues to investigate the outcome of the match, which ended with the victory of Union Ben Guerdane with a single penalty, after the circulation of information manipulated after discernment to the amount put by three bettors on the game amounted to 33 thousand euros, which is Record and unprecedented amount for an interview from the Tunisian league.

Suspicions on and off
The same sources confirmed that the betting company had withdrawn that match from the betting on suspicion of manipulation of its outcome due to the huge amount allocated by the bettors, before the French judiciary set off a strong fuss by stopping three bettors who took part in the betting, which increased the volume of suspicions of manipulation.

Despite a backlash in the media and communication platforms on the issue, the Tunisian game federation only responded to the accusations through a brief statement by media spokesman Kais Rakkaz, who denied the association had any links to the arrests of three Tunisians living in France.

Responding to accusations that the federation's son was among those arrested, Rikkaz said in an interview with the Tunisian television channel that "all the rumors about the involvement of the president of the federation, Wadih al-Darif, in the issue of betting are baseless fabrications."

According to various media reports, one of the defendants admitted to knowing in advance the outcome of the match, prompting him to allocate a large amount to bet, at a time of doubts about the existence of suspicions of manipulation in several league games.

The consequences are dire
Bloggers and media have called on the Ministry of Sport and the judiciary to investigate what they consider to be "strong indications of match-fixing revealed by the online betting networks in France," while others have confirmed the possibility of FIFA entering the line and taking steps that could have serious repercussions on Tunisian football. .

Tunisian radio and sports analyst Mundhir Jebbiani revealed that the arrest of three Tunisians on charges of illegal betting served as a solid proof of the manipulation and the alarm on suspicions of corruption and the purchase of rulers' receivables. Chasing the Premier League. "

Al-Jubayani told Al Jazeera Net that "the process of manipulation seems fixed, especially as one of the detainees confirmed his prior knowledge of the outcome of the game, and this is sufficient element on the need to intervene. , Which is the Football Association. "

"The case published in the Nice Court is serious and its consequences will be serious if it is decided and sentenced. In this case, the International Federation of the Game will intervene and open an investigation that ends with sanctions against the Tunisian Football Federation, the league is threatened with suspension by FIFA, the Football Federation is required to clarify its official position," the spokesman said. The judicial authorities are also called upon to act because the case affects the country's reputation. "

Tunisian league matches in recent years have been the subject of accusations of manipulation and the purchase of receivables and players.In 2013, the judiciary arrested players and an official from JS Kairouan and CA Bizertin based on audio recordings in preparation for the match between the two teams.

In 2017, the federation opened an internal investigation into an attempt by an official at the stadium of Gabes to buy the receivables of three players from future rivals Gabès, but closed the file before the results of the investigation. Tunisian.