KEMAMAN, 29 JANUARY, 2012: Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek wants the Malaysian Football Association (FAM) and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) to jointly nip football bribery in the bud.

He described bribery as nothing short of a crime which brought shame, and tarnished the integrity of sports in the country.

"Those who were involved, regardless whether they are players or the management, should be severely dealt with, lest the abhorrent practice spread like cancer among football circles," he told Bernama here today.

He said this when asked to comment on a Perlis Premier League player who was currently under MACC investigation for alleged match-fixing which resulted in the 7-2 trouncing of Perlis by the Muar Municipal Council team on Jan 9.

Ahmad Shabery said, the relevant quarters, including the management, should also conduct their own investigations to find out why it (bribery) continued to recur.

He said it could be due to greed, or the management's failure to pay players their dues, or because of envy towards import players who were being paid lucrative wages.

Nevertheless, the minister said, whatever reasons the culprits offered, those who were found guilty should not only be permanently banned from the game but also face the wrath of the law.

- Bernama