KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Tuesday praised Singapore for cracking down on match-fixing — but called on authorities in Vietnam and China to step up their fraud investigations.

“We would like to congratulate the Corrupt Practices Investigations Bureau (CPIB) for their constant vigilance against bribery in the S-League,” Peter Velappan, AFC secretary-general said in a statement.

Last week at least eight players and two club officials in Singapore’s professional soccer league were put are under investigation for suspected match-fixing.

The CPIB inquiry is turning out to be one of the biggest investigations into the S-League, which is followed avidly by punters in the city state.

Velappan said the AFC had always reminded a number of countries to remain vigilance against corruption with the help of the police in their respective countries.

“AFC is fully aware that there is rampant gambling and betting on foreign football seen on television.

“Very recently, AFC has also directed Vietnam and China to speedily conclude their investigations into corrupt practices involving players and referees,” he said.

Velappan said Asian football “can only flourish to greater heights if these corrupt practices are totally eliminated.”—AFP