SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
SBC Noticias has reported that the Argentine Football Association (AFA) has banned referee Matías Beares due to match-fixing offences.
An investigation was first launched after a joint complaint was put forward by the Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires and operator BPlay.
According to the AFA, Beares placed two bets on the second Argentine division match between Deportivo Morón and Almirante Brown, conducting a “serious offence’” by breaking the referee code under AFA regulations.
The two bets were valued at a total of 500k Argentine pesos (£385), winning him more than 2m pesos (£1,540) after Almirante Brown bowed down to Morón with one to five.
Things do not end with Beares, however, as upon further investigation it was revealed that the match had an unusual volume of bets on the exact score, with around 12m pesos being wagered for a grand total of 35m in returns.
AFA has pointed out that this could be indicative of an organised crime network, which Beares has been a part of, and that the case will continue to be under investigation by the relevant authorities.
