NRL boss Todd Greenberg has promised to ban for life anyone found guilty of match-fixing.
The game was on Thursday thrown into turmoil when NSW Police confirmed they were probing allegations of match-fixing.
And Greenberg said the game’s administrators would come down with their full weight on anyone found guilty of conspiring to fix the outcome of a game.
“This is a threat which exists for all sport in this country and globally,” Greenberg said.
“The response from the NRL will be very clear. If any allegations are proven, then we will ban anyone found guilty, for life.”
Police are reportedly probing two 2015 games involving Manly – their round 16 20-8 loss to South Sydney and their round 24 20-16 defeat against Parramatta.
Greenberg said he had not been aware of any specific allegations and the police investigation was in its early stage.
He said airing any preliminary allegations ran the risk of casting a pall over innocent people.
“There is no specific allegation yet, no charges, no formal investigation by police and we should be careful not to jump to conclusions,” Greenberg said.
db
Guest
It's Todd Greenberg. Of course it's utter nonsense.
northerner
Guest
There's a difference between gambling on a game, and fixing the game. Any player who participates in match fixing ought to be kicked out of the sport, no if, ands, or buts. Why should Australian match fixers face a different fate than the Chicago Black Socks, Hansie Cronje, half a dozen Indian and Pakistani cricketers and of course Juventus?
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
Utter nonsense. If there is match-fixing, and a judicial process, the ARL can have a look at possible punishments on people who are found guilty. I assume there would be degrees of guilt, as in most crimes, and there may be extenuating circumstances around perpetrators. It's also possible that every player in all teams has some degree of involvement -- are we going to abandon the whole competition? A better approach would be: a general statement on undesirability of player involvement with gambling, and a desire for free and frank discussions with the relevant authorities, values of the family game etc etc.