SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean football officials will use lie detectors to root out match-fixing schemes.
The K-League said in a statement Monday that polygraph testing will help prevent more match-fixing scandals from erupting and better investigate those implicated in future scandals.
The K-League will also double the minimum yearly wage for league players to US$22,670 to lessen the temptation to take bribes to fix games, the statement said.
The match-fixing scandal has rocked the 28-year-old K-League – Asia’s oldest professional football league – with government officials threatening to shut it down if any more games are fixed from now on. A former K-League player who allegedly worked as a broker was found dead in an apparent suicide in May.
South Korean prosecutors have indicted more than 70 footballers, gambling brokers and others for alleged involvement in the scandal.
On Monday, military prosecutors arrested military club Sangju Sangmu’s coach Lee Soo-chul for allegedly extorting money from family members of at least one Sangmu player implicated in the scandal, the Defence Ministry said.
Yonhap news agency reported that Lee allegedly extorted 10 million won ($9,430) from the player, and military prosecutors are investigating whether he demanded money from other players as well.
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