While a UEFA delegation is in Cyprus discussing how to combat match-fixing and corruption in local football, Omonia Nicosia chairman Stavros Papastavrou claimed the league title could be bought for a price.
During a press conference, Omonia’s chairman and main investor said that the club would be taking a series of measures to expose allegedly dishonest referees as well as alleged bribery of players.
Papastavrou claimed that during his 18 months at the club he has been approached by “club representatives and people involved in Cyprus football in order to influence the performance of players and referees”.
He claimed the Cyprus Football Association was not fit for purpose.
“We believe there is widespread corruption in Cypriot football and the situation is not likely to change under the current Cyprus FA leadership”.
Papastavrou said he was given offers that specified the “going rate” or the price tag for a championship or a cup.
He slammed the state and the football authorities for failing to do anything about the allegations the club had made.
The CFA refrained from commenting on Papastavrou’s allegations urging him to submit any evidence he has to them.
Omonia had earlier this month called on UEFA to intervene and even ban Cypriot teams from participating in European football tournaments.
The prestigious club was not alone in calling international football bodies to act as Limassol’s AEL had also asked them to intervene, alleging people connected to the underworld were involved in Cypriot football.
Topflight side Apollon Limassol has also questioned the credibility and quality of Cyprus refereeing and has sent a motion to the CFA demanding that local matches are officiated by foreign referees.
Papastavrou said his club would undertake four anti-corruption moves. First, a report on Cyprus football and its leadership drafted by Omonia will be sent to European football’s governing body UEFA,
Second, a website will be set up and on it, the club will post “refereeing mistakes or anything else bad, filthy or illegal taking place in Cyprus football,” Papastavrou said.
Omonia will also be sending a weekly a report to UEFA with all the latest “mistakes, omissions, bad practices and illegalities”.
Reward for whistleblowers
The fourth action involves setting up an email account to which people can send information about illegalities which will be examined by a lawyer commissioned by the club.
He said that a report will be prepared based on whistleblowers’ evidence which will be sent to the Attorney General and UEFA.
Informers will be rewarded with anything between €5,000 and €25,000, presumably depending on the value of the information provided.
UEFA delegation investigating the latest match-fixing notifications, sent by UEFA to the CFA, has been asked by Cyprus police to hand over information to aid investigations and document the cases.
Experts from UEFA assured that they had evidence in hand and pledged that they would forward more details once their report is completed.
Meanwhile, Cyprus Justice Minister George Savvides has stepped in, pledging there will be a thorough investigation into allegations.
“Any complaints made about football matches or anything that concerns football will come under full scrutiny,” said Savvides.
He said that it is difficult to file corruption and manipulation cases but and he assured the public “there will be no cover-up”.
The Minister was meeting UEFA officials on Tuesday morning.
From 2011 to date some 85 notices have been received by the CFA in recent years, but authorities have so far failed to bring anyone before a court of justice.
Last year, the CFA suspended second division games for a week following several match-fixing reports imposing what it saw as stricter penalties.
The CFA has decided to impose the same penalties on teams involved in the recent scandal.
It decided not to give teams involved their €60,000 funding while deducting three points from second division club Digenis Morphou which was flagged in two games signified by UEFA as possibly fixed.
