(Reuters) – Two players from the Belize men’s national team have revealed that they were offered a bribe ahead of their CONCACAF Gold Cup opener against the United States, the confederation said yesterday.
Woodrow West and Ian Gaynair notified CONCACAF that they were approached ahead of Tuesday’s 6-1 loss to United States in Portland, Oregon for a group stage fixture of the regional tournament.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) said it has launched a full investigation into the matter alongside FIFA.
Details of the bribe attempt were not disclosed but CONCACAF referred to “match manipulation” in their statement and said they have discovered who was behind the attempt.
“Initial findings of this investigation have resulted in a positive identification of the individual attempting the bribery,” CONCACAF said in a statement.
“We want to thank Woodrow West and Ian Gaynair and recognize them for their bravery and commitment to preserving the integrity of our game.” Internationally, soccer has been dealing with the growing problem of attempts to fix games by betting syndicates.