|
|
Indonesia coach Aji Santoso banned for four games for bribery suggestions in 10-0 loss to Bahrain
Apr 19, 2012 5:33:00 AM
The Merah Putih coach has accepted his punishment after admitting he said 'is there money involved in this match?' to match officials in the heavy defeat
Fifa has suspended Indonesia coach Aji Santoso for four matches and fined 6000 Swiss francs (€4,990) after he accused officials of bribery during the infamous 10-0 loss to Bahrain in World Cup qualifying in February.An under-strength Indonesia side were thumped by the West Asians in the clash in Manama which saw Bahrain win four penalties and the visitors have their goalkeeper sent off inside the opening two minutes.
The match has been under investigation by Fifa given the scoreline, which was made all the more alarming considering Bahrain needed at least an eight-goal win to have any hope of progressing to the fourth and final round of World Cup qualifiers.
During the game, Santoso had been red carded by Lebanese match referee Andre Haddad after 75 minutes, after assistant referee Birak Ziad reported that Santoso had verbally suggested there was money involved in some of the official's decisions while on the sidelines.
Fifa imposed the suspension and fine as Santoso had violated Article 49 of the body's Disciplinary Code which involved misconduct towards a match official.
Santoso admitted to the Jakarta Globe he had made the remark and said he regretted his behaviour.
"I accept the punishment and I regret my behaviour. “I was just saying to the fourth official ‘Is there money involved in this match?’,” he said.
Indonesia's Football Association (PSSI) said it accepted the decision but didn't rule out an appeal at a later date pending Fifa's investigation findings.
PSSI legal director Finantha Rudy told tempo.co: “If the investigation finds that there was match-fixing, we will definitely file an appeal of Aji’s sanctions. We will probably bring the case to Court of Sports Arbitration."
Santoso also told kompas.com: “The most important thing is that I can learn something from the Bahrain incident. I place my trust in PSSI to handle the whole sanction matter.”
Follow Ben Somerford on 
Follow Goal.com Asia on and 
for the latest in Asian footballing news, features, and analysis
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets |
|
| Sign up today with Coral and get a £50 FREE bet - no strings attached! |
|
| Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET! |
|
Related Stories
Inside Goal.Com
-
Preview: Siena - AC Milan
Massimiliano Allegri's men are in control of their own destiny and only need to better Fiorentina's result to qualify for next season's Champions League
-
Preview: Barcelona - Real Valladolid
The Catalan giants clinched the league title last weekend and could rack up a century of points in La Liga if they win their three remaining matches for the season
-
The stars bidding farewell to the Premier League
With the EPL waving goodbye to a host of managers, players and clubs, Goal takes a look at the key figures making their final outing in English football's top flight - though some could return in another capacity ...
-
In Pictures: Beckham's emotional farewell
After a fairytale 20-year career in which he has scaled the peaks of football, Becks brought the curtain down on his playing days by captaining PSG to a 3-1 win over Brest on Saturday
-
Cartoon: The EPL's Golden oldies take to the stage
Goal.com cartoonist Omar Momani gives us his unique take on the football news of the day
