Belize Players praised for refusing to throw match
Belize, the tiny nation bordering Mexico and Guatemala, was
already a fan favorite at the Gold Cup given its massive underdog tag.
But the national team likely gained even more supporters
after players turned down a "large amount of money" to throw a match
against the U.S. at the tournament.
Two of the players, Woodrow West and Ian Gaynair, told
CONCACAF officials about the incident and after an investigation was launched,
it led to "positive identification of the individual attempting the
bribery," the governing body said in a statement.
"We want to thank Woodrow West and Ian Gaynair and
recognize them for their bravery and commitment to preserving the integrity of
our game," CONCACAF said.
According to the website of a television station in Belize,
the man offering the money first met team members in Guatemala and attempted to
befriend them.
He then called them in Portland, Oregon and met players at a
mall near the team hotel two days before the game against the Gold Cup host.
Even though the majority of Belize's players are part-timers
and the team needed to hold fundraisers to help cover costs, the players
declined the offer.
"He saw that my features changed and he saw that we
weren't into it so he got frightened and took out a large amount of money to
bribe us, a lot of hundred and fifty dollar bills and threw it at us on the
table and told us to keep it and to not say anything," Gaynair, a
defender, said.
"Like I told him, 'We can't take that money,' because
at the end of the day our country is behind us and we just made history for
these big games so we can't just sell out our country for a little bit of
money."
Belize, 130th in the FIFA rankings, would go on to lose 6-1
to the U.S. in Portland in its tournament debut Wednesday.
Photo Courtesy : www.CNN.com
"We are Belizeans and that is what we're doing out here
-- to represent our country and me, Woodrow West, and being loyal to my
country," said West, the backup keeper. "That (is) bigger than any
amount of money that they can ever give me and that is why I stood firm.
"Thank God we had that strength to deny this man
because he was really into giving us a large amount of money."
Although the actions of the Belize internationals will be
fully applauded, the approach raises concerns about the seemingly easy access
to players.
In February, Europol
deemed more than 600 games across the globe suspicious as the sport's
underbelly -- of match fixing -- was exposed.
"The fight against match manipulation is a top priority
for CONCACAF," CONCACAF said. "In alignment with FIFA guidelines and
with the help of outside entities such as Interpol, we have taken all necessary
measures to ensure the legitimacy of each game played throughout the 2013 Gold
Cup.
"We are precluded from commenting any further on this
matter, due to the ongoing nature of the investigation."
FIFA didn't comment.
Belize, meanwhile, faces Costa Rica on Saturday at 6:00pm ET.
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/12/sport/football/belize-bribery-gold-cup/index.html?hpt=ifo_t1
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/12/sport/football/belize-bribery-gold-cup/index.html?hpt=ifo_t1
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