The world soccer governing body has set aside $28 million for Interpol to help fight growing match-fixing in the game. FIFA has declared that it has three weeks to clean up football in a major international investigation into corruption in the game. Asia has been identified as a citadel of match-fixing and incidentally that is where Botswana soccer got mired in bribery. In September 2009, Botswana played China in an international friendly and lost 4-1. Afterwards, there were allegations of match-fixing with Botswana coach, Stanley Tshosane, making startling revelations that attempts were made to bribe him with a whopping P4.5 million to throw the match. On return from China, then BFA CEO, Mooketsi Kgotlele, was suspended over the matter. He was eventually dismissed.
This week, FIFA president Sepp Blatter, stung by new allegations that members of the FIFA executive committee demanded bungs in order to back England's 2018 World Cup bid, demanded a clean-up before he stands for re-election on June 1. Blatter said his organisation "would lose all credibility" if fans lost faith in the honesty of matches. "Let's take some time to do it but we have to do it very fast, because we have a congress to come and we have to deal with this matter before the congress," Blatter said.
