AFC bans two Laos players over match-fixing

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has handed a lifetime ban to two players from the Laos national team after they were found guilty of match-fixing.

Khampheng Sayavutthi and Lembo Saysana were found to be in breach of Article 66.1 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code after the governing body revealed that the duo had attempted to manipulate the result of a game between Hong Kong and Laos on 5 October 2017.

In a statement, the AFC’s Disciplinary and Ethics Committee said: “The Laos Football Federation has been informed of the decisions and the AFC will request FIFA to extend the bans worldwide in due course.

“The latest sanction demonstrates the AFC is fully committed to its zero-tolerance policy on match-fixing and its regulations provide for tough sanctions for match manipulation.

“In order to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, no other details will be disclosed.”

Hong Kong won 4-0 against the Laos national team, scoring goals in the 10th, 13th and 73rd minutes before scoring again in the 83rd minute.

At the beginning of this year, the AFC upped its commitment to tackling match-fixing after extending its long-standing partnership with sports data and content supplier Sportradar.

The extension, which will last until the AFC Asian Cup China 2023, will see Sportradar continue to support the AFC Integrity Unit with the Intelligence and Investigation Services (I&I) which has helped combat match-fixing across the region.