LA PAZ (Reuters) – The Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) decided on Tuesday to cancel the country’s two top-flight football tournaments amid investigations into allegations of corruption and match-fixing.
The announcement came after the FBF called an extraordinary meeting with the 17 first division clubs and delegates from nine regional football associations to decide the future of the national league tournament and the domestic Simon Bolivar Cup.
The FBF had filed a criminal complaint on Monday with the La Paz prosecutor’s office against players, officials and referees allegedly involved in a corruption network dedicated to rigging matches, bribery and illegal betting in football.
“It has been decided to cancel the round robin tournament and the professional cup… serious indications have been found that both tournaments have been vitiated,” FBF president Fernando Costa told a news conference.
Costa said a new, short tournament would run until the end of the year, although it first required the endorsement of South America’s football governing body CONMEBOL, and would decide spots for the 2024 international tournaments.
(Report by Daniel Ramos; writing by Janina Nuno Rios; editing by Clare Fallon)
