No formal complaints of match fixing – NPL

NO formal complaints of match-fixing or bribery of referees have been launched with the Namibia Premier League (NPL) since the conclusion of the 2003/2004 season two weeks ago.

NPL League Administrator Tovey Hoebeb said yesterday that all reports handed over to his office by the match officials described the matches as free and fair and no bribery or disciplinary hearings need to be carried out. “We have nothing in writing to launch an investigation,” he said.NPL said this after Blue Waters issued a statement distancing themselves from claims that they bribed match officials who officiated during their match against Eleven Arrows last month.Blue Waters won 3-1 to become NPL champions.Vice-Chairperson of the Namibia Referees Association (NRA) Frans Samaria said his office had also not received any formal complaint.Samaria noted that according to the Namibia Football Association (NFA) rules and regulations, teams are given 48 hours after the conclusion of the league to launch their complaints.Samaria also stated that he was no longer a member of XI Arrows as claimed by Tostao Imbili, the spokesperson of Blue waters, who issued the statement on Wednesday.Before the conclusion of the league, there were numerous claims from club officials and players that some teams, especially the relegation-threatened ones, had offered their opponents bribes to survive in the league.Officials from Oshakati City, Life Fighters, Liverpool and Blue Waters all refuted the claims.Subsequently, Liverpool were relegated, while Life Fighters and Oshakati City which were also on the brink of relegation managed to stay in the league after surprising wins in their last two matches of the league respectively.- Nampa and Own Reporter”We have nothing in writing to launch an investigation,” he said.NPL said this after Blue Waters issued a statement distancing themselves from claims that they bribed match officials who officiated during their match against Eleven Arrows last month.Blue Waters won 3-1 to become NPL champions.Vice-Chairperson of the Namibia Referees Association (NRA) Frans Samaria said his office had also not received any formal complaint.Samaria noted that according to the Namibia Football Association (NFA) rules and regulations, teams are given 48 hours after the conclusion of the league to launch their complaints.Samaria also stated that he was no longer a member of XI Arrows as claimed by Tostao Imbili, the spokesperson of Blue waters, who issued the statement on Wednesday.Before the conclusion of the league, there were numerous claims from club officials and players that some teams, especially the relegation-threatened ones, had offered their opponents bribes to survive in the league.Officials from Oshakati City, Life Fighters, Liverpool and Blue Waters all refuted the claims.Subsequently, Liverpool were relegated, while Life Fighters and Oshakati City which were also on the brink of relegation managed to stay in the league after surprising wins in their last two matches of the league respectively.- Nampa and Own Reporter