On Wednesday, Nepal’s national football team captain Sagar Thapa, vice-captain Sandip Rai and three other football players were arrested for alleged involvement in match fixing. They have been accused of throwing away many international games in exchange for money. The authorities have found various suspicious cash transfers to their bank accounts from Singapore and Malaysia. The authorities were on alert after noticing a drastic change in their lifestyle and discovering that one of the players had invested millions in more than one casino in Sikkim. Based on their evidence, the authorities believe that in the U-23 matches held in South Korea last year and Nepal’s games against Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and the Philippines were all compromised. This allegation of international match fixing is the first of its kind in Nepal, and such practices should not be tolerated.

The players were already under the scanner for fixing games last year, when Nepal lost 9-0 to Jordan in the World Cup qualifying game in Amman, but in the return fixture held in Kathmandu, the team had managed to secure a draw. That swing in performance obviously invited scrutiny. Match fixing in the domestic leagues have also been reported in the past. In 2011, when a football match between Bansbari and Machhindra Club ended suspiciously in favour of the latter, footballers mounted protests, with many of them unfurling banners that read ‘Stop Match fixing, Save football’. The All Nepal Football Association (Anfa), Nepal’s governing body for the game, even formed a committee to look into the matter but nothing

came of it.

But the recent match-fixing brouhaha has shocked so many football lovers in the nation because it is not just about local clubs throwing away matches. The games that the players are alleged to have compromised were matches in which they were representing the nation.

Furthermore, while the earlier domestic case did not leave easily discernible trails, in the latest case, the investigators seem to have solid evidence backing their inquiry. Anfa should thus not let the accused off with a mere slap on the wrist.

In the international arena, if a player is found guilty of fixing games, the athlete can be suspended, banned from the sport, fined and sometimes even jailed. Therefore, Anfa and the Ministry of Youth and Sport should coordinate with the Nepal Police and get to the bottom of these max-fixing accusations. If the players are found guilty, they should get their just desserts. Unless we nip such cases in the bud, the rot could spread. As it is, things are already rotten in the state of Nepali football—as evidenced by the Fifa problems that Ganesh Thapa is now embroiled in. By scotching out infractions such as the recent one involving our national players if and when they happen, we can work our way towards instilling a culture of fair play in the football fraternity.