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FIFA pledges action on match-fixing threat

The Columbian
Published: March 3, 2011, 12:00am

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA is promising new rules to help stop national team games being fixed for betting scams.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter pledged tighter monitoring of referees’ assignments as investigations continue into two suspect exhibition games played in Turkey.

Blatter says regulations are needed to stop international matches “which are mostly … organized only for betting reasons.”

FIFA says exhibition game organizers will need to submit referees’ names for approval two months before kickoff. FIFA and its confederations will have veto power to refuse the assignment.

FIFA is investigating matches played Feb. 9 when Latvia beat Bolivia 2-1 and Estonia tied 2-2 with Bulgaria. Every goal came from penalty kicks awarded by low-ranked Hungarian officials.

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