The Players are Clean, says Fabio

Timor Leste coach Fabio Da Silva defended his players from allegations of match-fixing when he said ‘as far as I can see, they are clean.’

In a statement yesterday, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said it had been “proactively monitoring football match-fixing activities” and acted on information it received to arrest “a Singaporean alleged match-fixer and several co-conspirators of different nationalities.”

“Some members from the Timor Leste SEA Gamesfootball team are also assisting the Bureau in its investigations,” the CPIB said.

But Da Silva said after his team conceded a 1-0 loss to Malaysia in their opening game of Group B, that his players are clean.

“I can see from the commitment of the players that they are clean. That is as far as I can tell,” said Fabio.

“If it is proven otherwise, then what can I say. They are all humans too and they have the right to do what they want.

“But from what I have seen, there is no reason to suspect anything. The players played with full commitment and put the problems off the pitch behind them.”

Commenting on the red card that was handed to Malaysia’s Muhammad Nazmi Mansor after just half hour of play, Da Silva added that the former’s action was inappropriate.

“Spitting at the opponent is not football. Whatever happens on the pitch, we still have to respect the opponent.”

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