Unfortunately, even the most diehard soccer fans are forced to admit that there’s a lot of cheating and match-fixing going on in their favorite sport.However, officials are trying to nip it in the bud in Singapore by making players take a polygraph (lie detector) test. In fact the S-League in the tiny Asian nation has been using the tests since 2001as it was introduced to the code of conduct that players have to abide by.
Winston Lee of the Singapore FA said it’s mandatory for players to undergo as lie detector test as they have to sign an agreement form and they could be given a test at random.
The tests could certainly prove to be useful as dozens of officials, players, referees, and coaches have been jailed around the world for match-fixing and illegal betting. A native of Singapore named Wilson Perumal was jailed in Finland for two years in 2011 for fixing the outcome of games there.
Lee said that Asia sees a lot of match-fixing, but it takes place all over the globe in various leagues and international games. He said it’s everywhere and has become a cancer, but Singapore has stood up against it and so far their system seems to be working. But even with strict measures in place, it hasn’t stopped crime syndicates from trying to manipulate pro soccer games in Singapore.
According to Lee, several foreigners arrived in the country and offered a lot of money to a goalkeeper to fix a game. The goalie reported the incident to the FA and the criminals were arrested and jailed. Not everybody is happy about lie detector tests though.
A players’ organization named FIFPro questioned the use of the tests after the Lokomotiv Plovdiv team in Bulgaria introduced them. The Dutch-based players’ organization said that people can still tell lies and cheat a polygraph test and their results can’t be depended on.
Lee admitted that it’s possible to cheat a test, but if it happens it’s not likely to be very often. He also realizes that match-fixing and other forms of cheating still take place, but at least it’s been reduced significantly.
He feels that it’s better to try and eradicate the problem than just watch it grow out of hand. Lee stated that the players who are most likely to be approached by criminals are young ones and those who are close to retiring.
Jordan’s Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, a FIFA official, said he supports the use of lie detector tests because it seems to be working well in Singapore. He added that the testing of players could spread across the world in the near future as an effective way to battle corruption. FIFPro said lie detectors should be used as a form of defense not prosecution.
The Bulgarian club introduced the polygraph tests after losing to the league’s last-place team and the owner wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything fishy going on. The results must have been negative because the coach was then fired due to the team’s poor play.
