Soccer chief questioned in fixing probe

Avi Luzon suspected of fraud, breach of trust and abuse. Police looking into whether referees were assigned to certain games in order to influence results

Reuters | Published: 01.10.12, 08:29

Police have questioned Israel's top football official in connection with a brewing match-fixing scandal.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Monday that fraud investigators questioned Israel Football Association Chairman Avi Luzon for eight hours on Sunday. He said Luzon is suspected of fraud, breach of trust and abuse of power.

Police are looking into whether referees were assigned to certain games in order to influence results. Dozens of executives, players, coaches and referees have already been questioned.

Luzon denies all the charges. In a statement, the association says he is cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation. It asked police to act sensitively "to prevent needless public damage."

No intention of resigning

“At the end of this investigation, I can promise…that Israeli soccer is clean, as is the chairman of the IFA,” Luzon said in an interview on Israeli Army Radio on Monday. "I can say with all certainty that no referee fixed any match.”

Luzon is a member of governing bodies FIFA and UEFA. He said he had no intention of resigning from the IFA.

“There will be elections for the IFA chairmanship in 2014 so I may stay on until 2018 and, if people annoy me, I’ll continue until 2022,” he said.

“I am not at liberty to discuss the investigation, I wish I could,” Luzon added. “But I am more than happy if the police want to publish all the details from beginning to end and not a snippet.”