Interpol probe FUFA over match fixing allegations
Feb 19, 2015
Uganda Interpol director Asan Kasingye says the international agency will go ahead with investigations into allegations of match-fixing surrounding Uganda’s 2-0 loss to Guinea in the Afcon Qualifiers last November despite a perceived lack of cooperation from FUFA.
By Charles Mutebi
Uganda Interpol director Asan Kasingye says the international agency will go ahead with investigations into allegations of match-fixing surrounding Uganda’s 2-0 loss to Guinea in the Afcon Qualifiers last November despite a perceived lack of cooperation from FUFA.
Kasingye said the local football federation has been ‘silent’ in the face of a request for information from Interpol but he insisted there are enough grounds for an investigation to be lodged anyway.
“We don’t need their permission to investigate these claims especially since it appears there is evidence of wrongdoing,” Kasingye told the New Vision.
“They are still silent but Interpol is going to go ahead and send a team to the country to start investigations”.
However, FUFA president Moses Magogo told the New Vision the federation is more than ready to cooperate with Interpol since they are the ones who reported the issue.
“We are going to liaise with Interpol and see what information they exactly want because we are willing to cooperate with them,” Magogo said.
“We are the ones who wrote to Interpol first so it’s in our interest to see that whoever is guilty is punished”.
Interpol first picked interest in the case after unnamed FUFA officials made claims of match-fixing in the wake of Uganda’s 2-0 defeat to Guinea in a match played in Morocco.
Kasingye was subsequently tasked (in a letter from Lyon, dated December 1 2014) to a do a follow-up with FUFA.
He wrote a letter to FUFA over two months ago asking for assistance.
But FUFA have offered no reply, something Magogo suggested maybe down to a simple lack of understanding of what Interpol want.
“Maybe we need to know what information they really want before we can assist but we are ready to do so,” Magogo explained.
Interpol are stepping up investigations regardless.
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