DOHA, Dec 12: Incensed Malaysian hockey officials have accused Japan, Hong Kong and Pakistan of fixing Asian Games matches after their team were eliminated from the competition.
High-scoring Pakistan and Japan played out a 0-0 draw in a match to decide the semi-final places, which resulted in Malaysia's elimination on goal difference.
Team manager Nur Azmi Ahmad said the two countries had a record for being attacking teams, but claimed neither side had any intention of scoring goals.
“This is not just our view. We spoke to the team managers of India and China who were with us watching the Pakistan-Japan game,” Ahmad told the New Straits Times.
“They told me that I might as well go home, because they could see that the match was already fixed,” he raged.
Malaysia would lodge an official protest against the three teams whom they claim fixed the outcome of the men's group A matches.
Ahmad also accused Hong Kong of intentionally fielding a weak goalkeeper to help boost Pakistan's goal difference.
Malaysian coach Wallace Tan said the offending teams should be dealth with harshly.
“Japan and Pakistan were simply not playing their match. You must respect the game and play it,” he told the daily.
“In football, when you get money to fix matches, you're banned.”
China stunned Pakistan in the first semi-final on Tuesday. The other semi-final pits South Korea against Japan.—Reuters
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