UEFA Fully Exonerates Bulgaria in Estonia Friendly Scandal

Sports | May 12, 2011, Thursday // 13:43|  views

Latvia beat Bolivia 2-1 in a friendly in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya just before the Bulgaria-Estonia game. Photo by Getty Images

UEFA has once and for all exonerated the Bulgarian Football Union in the case of the scandalous friendly with Estonia in February.

The game then ended with a 2:2 score with all goals coming after penalty kicks and with the Estonian Football Federation accusing their Bulgarian counterparts in under the table agreements about the result.

UEFA conducted a probe, involving even Interpol, and failed to discover any "Bulgarian connection." UEFA and Interpol have concluded that those responsible for the scandal are two individuals from Singapore, organizers of the match.

They are identified as Antony Santia Radz, and his accomplice, Wilson Radz Perumal, and are accused of having played a key role in the plot and represented the shady company during meetings at the football headquarters of Estonia, Bulgaria, Bolivia and Latvia.

The game was organized by the Thailand-based agency "Footy Sport International", while Russian Sergey Protsenko acted as an intermediary despite not holding a license by a FIFA manager.

The same people organized the previous match between Latvia and Bolivia, in which all three goals were also scored from penalties. Latvia beat Bolivia 2-1 in a friendly in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya just before the Bulgaria-Estonia game.

Hungarian referee Krisztian Selmeczi, who was in charge of both matches, has been suspended in the wake of the scandal.

The Bulgarian body has repeatedly protested its innocence, saying they knew nothing of a betting scam that is suspected to have led to all seven goals scored on penalty kicks.

FIFA has vowed to tighten the rules over friendlies following the matches.

FIFA said the governing body would have to be informed who was refereeing each match and that they would intervene in the future if they saw anything suspicious.

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Tags: friendly penalty kicks, Estonia, Bulgaria, UEFA, FIFA, Latvia, Bolivia, football, INTERPOL

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