Earlier this month, Gwangju terminated the contract of defender A. The defender admitted that he had done it three years ago. Gwangju heard about this from a tip, and A also admitted to it. Gwangju said, “He admitted that he indirectly played private betting through a third party in 2020.” Three years ago, A was in Jeju. “He said that he never played Toto after transferring to Gwangju, but since it was confirmed that he had already committed a crime, he immediately decided to terminate his contract,” Gwangju explained.
Private sports betting is of course illegal. Even ‘legal’ sportsbooks issued by the Korea Sports Promotion Organization are subject to criminal penalties if purchased by athletes, coaches, and referees.
What kind of gambling did A do? According to his own words, it was “private toto”. Gwangju said, “We didn’t need to ask him what kind of gambling he participated in specifically,” and “as a club, just playing private toto was enough reason for termination.” And so A’s contract with Gwangju was terminated. He lost his job as a professional athlete. But is that really enough?
What kind of sport and league did A bet on? Is it possible that he was betting on soccer? If he was betting on soccer, was it only on overseas games? If he was betting on the K League, the problem becomes even bigger. We can’t ignore the possibility that it could have led to match-fixing. We already know the enormous impact of match-fixing.
As for how A participated in private betting, he said it was indirect betting through a third party. If it was through a third party, were there other players from other clubs who participated in illegal betting like A. Was it only on illegal online sites, and was it really possible that it was done in offline gambling establishments?
The reporter received a shocking report from several sources. It was reported that K League players like A were gambling illegally with large sums of money in hold’em pubs. One source told us where the hold’em pubs were located, the names of the hold’em pubs, and the real names of the active professional players who were known among the players to be gambling illegally there. These are players in their mid-to-late 20s from various organizations. The person who tipped off Gwangju to A’s participation in the private betting program is also a former player who previously played for Gwangju and K3. If all of this is true, it’s hard to rule out the possibility that multiple K-Leaguers have been illegally betting on soccer, especially the Korean K-League, online or offline through agents who are former soccer players.
A thorough internal investigation by the soccer organization and a strong investigation by law enforcement are needed. The Korean Football Association and the KFA should not sit on their hands and say, “There is nothing we can do because the player has been terminated.” If they don’t implement strong measures while citing regulations, they will be criticized for cutting off their tails. It can be seen as a posture of covering up rather than fighting match-fixing.토스카지노
Federations and associations should investigate the players whose names are mentioned as being involved in illegal betting, like A, first. They are active players and can be investigated by federations, associations, and clubs. The federations and associations should report the findings directly to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The Ministry of Sports, Culture and Tourism should ask the law enforcement authorities for a thorough and robust investigation now. If the federations, associations, clubs, and the Ministry remain silent, they are all complicit in covering up and overlooking obvious match-fixing.