Lebanese football referee Ali Sabbagh was sentenced with a six months’ improsonment today for match fixing. His assistant referees were sentenced with three months jail time, says Channel News Asia.
Ali Sabbagh – referee from Lebanon – Now sentenced for matchfixing.
The assistants are already released from jail. Channel News Asia: “The assistant referees broke down into sobs after Judge Low Wee Ping said they could be freed by later Monday or Tuesday, after remission for good behaviour and due to time already served awaiting sentence.” Sabbagh got a higher sentence because he was the one who persuaded the assistants to accept the “bribe”.
Sabbagh was a Fifa referee since 2008. In an interview with Dutch Referee Blog earlier this year he was talking about going to a World Cup sooner or later. “Now I am 34 years and here in Lebanon all the people say that I will go to the World Cup because of my performance and my development. So I hope that they’re right, because our federation works hard to improve refereeing.” Although Fifa has not made a statement about his future as referee, his chances for a final tournament have decreased to (almost) zero due to this match fixing incident.
UPDATE: Fifa has confirmed Ali Sabbagh will get a worldwide lifetime ban because he agreed to fix a match in Singapore in exchange for sexual favors.
Read the full interview with Ali Sabbagh from earlier this year
“@dutchreferee: Match fixing: referee and assisstants get jailed 3-6 months for accepting free sex http://t.co/H12QBkDfr3” All I get is £34!
@dutchreferee What stupidity – at least if it was for large sums of money you could maybe understand how they got tempted!
@sjgreen @dutchreferee Should pay for a couple of toms Stephen 😉 #classy
@bmb_afcb @dutchreferee I will never understand what makes someone get involved in taking money (or sex) for fixing games. #goodriddance
Fifa has confirmed that referee Ali Sabbagh will get a worldwide lifelong ban for match-fixing. http://t.co/C3dZv2gESC
RT @dutchreferee: Fifa has confirmed that referee Ali Sabbagh will get a worldwide lifelong ban for match-fixing. http://t.co/C3dZv2gESC
Match fixing: ref Ali Sabbagh and assisstants get jailed – http://t.co/1B6PvyECeJ FIFA scheidsrechter voor zes maanden de bak in, ass drie
Scheidsrechter uit Libanon krijgt levenslange schorsing van Fifa voor omkoping: http://t.co/Z7P3s1IHfI
Match fixing: ref Ali Sabbagh and assisstants get jailed – http://t.co/cSuzeesBm4 http://t.co/cSuzeesBm4
@dutchreferee Terrible decision to make for someone striving for the World Cup