Scandals of The 2005 Southeast Asian Games - Other Scandals

Other Scandals

• Two Vietnamese Football players, striker Pham Van Quyen and midfielder Le Quoc Vuong, both from the national Under 23 team, were arrested in Hanoi for "indulging in betting on games and organizing betting" (match fixing). The scandal apparently took place in a match with Vietnam placed against Myanmar, with Vietnam winning 1-0. However, the results are disputed after allegations rose on state television result that some Vietnamese players appeared to slow down their play. It's also been alleged that Pham Van Quyen received 23 million VND from two women in Ho Chi Minh City on the way to Hanoi from Manila for the match fix.
  • Meanwhile, the Philippine government praised Vietnamese officials for the crackdown on football corruption and the arrest of the two football players. Philippine Olympic Committee chairman Robert Aventajado said that the arrests were made to protect the sport and that Vietnam is working to stem further damage that the scandal has caused to it.
  • Two more players, midfielder Huynh Quoc Anh and defender Le Bat Hieu, were arrested on the same charges over the same scandal. It is believed that these players also received twenty million đồng from local bookmakers to make sure that Vietnam does not win by more than one goal. The same accusation is also believed to be applied to the 23 million đồng payout to Pham Van Quyen.