Three match fixing suspects, were Monday released on a bond of Sh300,000 with two sureties of a similar amount.
The trio- Russian national Akhiad Kubiev, Ugandan Bernard Nabende and Kenyan Martin Munga Mutua were arrested in Roysambu, Nairobi on Friday night.
Subscribe to Switch TV for more exciting content
However, the three denied the charges of cheating contrary to Section 315 of the Penal Code when they appeared before Principal Magistrate Eric Mûtûnga at Makadara Law Courts on Monday.
The charges read: “On diverse dates between February 3, 2023, and March 10, 2023, in Roysambu area within Kasarani Sub-county of Nairobi County, jointly with others not before court conspired to commit a felony namely cheating, an act which is considered a match fixing in football game in any part of the world.”
Read Also: Arsenal Cruise to Away Win Over Fulham as Saints Hold 10-Man United in the Premier League
Kenya Police, Nation Media Group, and footballers attached to Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League side City Stars were all involved in the operation that led to the arrest.
Inside the story
On Friday at about 10pm in Roysambu the three were arrested together with seven Nairobi City Stars players whom they had approached, to help fix their FKF-PL match.
Former footballer Festo Omukoto led the set up; the players were to pocket a sum of Sh1.8 million ($14,000) if the deal went through. However, they were to first receive Sh30, 000 each through Mpesa as transport to the match venue.
The suspects, tried to bribe the police with Sh1 million, admitted to have infiltrated several local clubs and claimed to be “well connected”.
Trap for the three Suspects
Police only found mattresses in the room where they were busted by the law enforcers after being tipped by City Stars Chief Executive Officer Patrick Korir.
The players were released at midnight after recording their statement, alongside Korir and the club’s coordinator Samson Otieno.
Omukoto, who in 2020 was among the four local players banned by Fifa from taking part in any football related activity for a period of four years after they were found guilty of match fixing, said the suspects, have for the last one month been asking him to connect them with City Stars players, who they can recruit into the vice.
Festus Okiring and Moses Chikati are the other players who were banned for four years while Ugandan George Mandela was banned for life.
Omukoto claimed that with the ban having ruined his bright football career, he did not want the same predicament to befall other determined players. He says he informed Korir of the matter, and together with Otieno and the seven players they decided to trap for them down.
“Match fixing ruined my career and continues to destroy our football. I did not want the players to go through what I underwent,” said Omukoto.
In the City Stars v Sofapaka match, the directive by the suspects was that the Simba wa Nairobi concede a goal in the opening 10 minutes and go for the breather trailing 1-0.
“They say that they are working with several local clubs and only pay after the deal is through since some clubs are not cooperative,” Otieno, adding that the suspects told them that matches played on weekdays earn them more revenue than weekend games.
Between the 70th and 78th minute, the suspects were to make another live bet that City Stars was going to concede two more goals in the last 10 minutes of the clash. In case City Stars scored a goal, Sofapaka were required to add another.
Read Also: Gor Mahia 5 points clear at the top of the FKF Premier League following win against Bidco United
Law on Match Fixing
Korir thanked Omukoto and the City Stars players for standing for integrity adding that it was time a law criminalising match fixing was passed in Parliament.
He added that the suspects promised to increase the amount of money they pay the players in subsequent matches should they continue to cooperate.
“I have spoken about it before but people take it (match fixing being rampant in FKF-PL) for granted. I am glad we can now put faces to the noise we have been making,” said Korir.
Subscribe to Switch TV for more exciting content
Speaking during NTV’s Monday night sports show – SportOn! On February 21, Korir revealed that sometime in 2021 one of his players at City Stars was being offered $10,000 (Sh1,261,300 as per the current exchange rate) to help fix their FKF-PL match against Nzoia Sugar that was held at Narok Stadium.
