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進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Taiwan soccer players, coaches deny match-fixing
Taiwan head coach Chen Kuei-jen clenches his fist during a press conference in Taipei on Wednesday, during which Chen strenuously denied allegations of match-fixing by Next Magazine. Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
By Jason Pan / Staff reporter
Players and coaches of Taiwan’s national soccer team yesterday denied that the squad had any knowledge of an alleged match-fixing attempt by a top official, asking sports fans to continue to support the side in their upcoming international games.
Officials from national soccer body the Chinese Taipei Football Association （CTFA） reiterated that claims made by the Chinese-language Next Magazine were not true and that they are considering suing for libel and seeking damages.
According to a report published in the magazine on Wednesday, prosecutors are investigating allegations that CTFA chairman Lin Cheng-yi （林振義） bet on a recent FIFA World Cup Asian qualifier for the national team to lose, for which Lin allegedly reaped NT$40 million （US$1.28 million）.
Head coach Chen Kuei-jen （陳貴人） supported the CTFA officials’ consideration of a lawsuit against the magazine in order to clear up the matter, as well as to restore his and the national team’s reputation and regain the trust of the public.
“There is no basis to the accusation. If the judiciary wants to investigate, we will fully cooperate. We can come forward to talk forthrightly and answer questions by investigators, because I know the coaches and players are clean,” Chen said.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Chen said he was very shocked upon hearing the allegations and sent supportive messages through social media to players and coaching staff.
“I told them to focus on our next match and not to be affected by this matter. We must not get knocked down by this, and hold on with determination in fighting for victory all the way to the end,” he said.
Regarding Taiwan’s next qualification matches, there have been no ramifications as yet from the Asian Football Confederation （AFC）.
“In light of the media reports, the AFC is monitoring the situation and substantiating details,” the regional governing body said in a statement, according to a Reuters report.
Chen told reporters that he is putting together a 30-man roster for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifier against Indonesia, who Taiwan will host on June 11.
“I have applied to take the 30-man squad for overseas training in Japan. After that, I will pare [the side] down to the required 23-men roster for the match against Indonesia,” he said.
He said that Japan has good grounds and advanced facilities, which would benefit the Taiwanese team.
Taiwan defender Xavier Chen （陳昌源）, a Belgian-Taiwanese player with European pro-league experience, encouraged his teammates by writing on his personal fan page: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
He was also confident of the team’s participation in the next round of qualifiers, by posting the schedule of the upcoming home-and-away legs of matches against Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Iraq.
The match that Next Magazine said Lin had rigged was the March 12 home leg in Kaohsiung of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifier, in which Taiwan lost to Brunei 1-0.
The report said that Lin placed several wagers totaling NT$10 million （US$321,000） with underground gambling syndicates, at odds of 4-1, that Brunei would beat Taipei, for which he allegedly collected NT$40 million in winnings.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
