NEW DELHI: Serious
allegations
of
match-fixing
have surfaced following a controversial
Delhi Football League
match between
Ahbab FC
and
Rangers FC
on Monday.
The match concluded with a suspicious 4-2 victory in favor of Ahbab FC, raising eyebrows and sparking an uproar within the football community.
The controversy gained momentum on social media after videos of two dubious own goals by Ahbab FC emerged online.
In the 86th minute, Ahbab FC players were seen passing the ball leisurely in their own half, with no opposition pressure from Rangers nearby. Shockingly, the sequence culminated in an Ahbab player lobbing the ball into their own net, with the goalkeeper inexplicably standing away from the goal post.
The second own goal occurred just before the final whistle, as an Ahbab player blatantly struck the ball into their own net, further fueling suspicions of foul play.
Delhi FC
owner Ranjit Bajaj took to social media to flag the incident, expressing his concerns about rampant match-fixing in the
Football Delhi
senior premier division. Bajaj also raised suspicions about the association's main partner being a betting company, adding to the gravity of the situation.
Responding to the outcry, All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey announced a thorough investigation into the matter. Chaubey expressed serious concerns based on the circulating videos and pledged to scrutinize other suspicious matches in recent months to eradicate such malpractices from Indian football.
"We've been made aware of videos circulating on SM, raising serious suspicion on the Delhi Premier League," stated Chaubey. "Prima facie, it's very concerning. In the past few months, we've been collecting hard evidence on suspicious matches with continuous investigation to eliminate such instances from #IndianFootball."
(With inputs from agencies)
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