The Special Court on Tuesday remanded the five current and former Nepali footballers charged with match-fixing to 17 days of custody.

The Metropolitan Police Crime Division presented the footballers before the court under treason charge. The footballers who were arrested on the eve of Dashain festival when court remained shut have already served 14 days in custody. Now police will have three more days to complete their investigation. If the police require further time for their probe they need to again present the footballers before court to seek extension.

Bhadrakali Pokharel, Registrar of Special Court, said they have allowed police to conduct further investigation until October 30. The Special Court deals with charges including treason among other grave crime. National team captain Sagar Thapa along with his deputy Sandeep Rai, second-choice goalkeeper Ritesh Thapa, former player turned coach Anjan KC and defender Bikash Singh Chhetri were arrested by police on October 14 for their alleged involvement in fixing Nepal’s international matches.

In an extended hearing that lasted for about five hours, the defendants’ lawyers argued that the footballers cannot be charged under ‘treason’. The defendants’ lawyers compared the case with that of former Indian cricketer S Sreesanth. Sreesanth was charged for spot fixing during the 2013 IPL (Indian Premier League) but the charges were dropped in July this year. The government lawyers argued that IPL is played by teams owned by private  companies while the Nepali football players were representing the nation.

The footballers denied any wrongdoings. “Media has already convicted us. We will speak once the court releases us,” said Thapa. Rai, meanwhile, said he would only speak after the probe ends. Police say the players have, in their statement, already admitted to the wrongdoings.

Police probe have found most of Nepal’s international matches since 2008 had been fixed with Thapa and KC at the centre of the scam. Police accuse the former national team regular KC for fixing matches as player and then extending his networks after being appointed as Three Star Club coach. He had already resigned as coach before the revealation of the crime.

Police have charged that each player took $5,000 for fixing a match. The players

used to fix matches with bookies Wilson Raj and Titani Periasamy of Singapore,

and Malaysia’s Kesavan Patan. AFC and Anfa have already suspended the accused players.