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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 3:31 a.m., Thursday, October 16, 2008

Soccer: English officials look into possible match-fixing

Associated Press

LONDON — England's Football Association is investigating allegations of match-fixing in this month's League Championship match between Derby and Norwich.

Derby beat the Canaries 2-1 on Oct. 4, but the match was reportedly subject to irregular betting patterns in Asia. The FA was known to be investigating a match, but its identity hadn't been confirmed until two British politicians asked questions in Parliament about it on Thursday.

Norman Lamb, who is a Norwich season ticket-holder, put forward a question on the subject to the government.

"When anything like this enters our game the whole thing's destroyed because you lose trust," Lamb told the BBC. "It's important the FA investigates this as a matter of extreme urgency."

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, which reported the allegations last week, handed the FA a document detailing the unusual betting and also to the Gambling Commission — the regulatory body for gambling in Britain.

Neither organization has jurisdiction over the Asian market, but both have a mandate to uphold the game's integrity.

Derby took the lead with a 26th-minute goal by Rob Hulse. Sammy Clingan tied it with a penalty in the 51st before Nathan Ellington scored the winner with five minutes remaining.

The FA acknowledged that it was investigating the allegations but did not comment further.