‘fixed’ Soccer Matches Confirmed

Rumors of a football (soccer) scandal were confirmed today in a report to Deputy Premier Yigal Allon by a special committee of inquiry headed by Supreme Court Justice Moshe Etzioni. Allon, as Minister of Education and Culture, has parliamentary responsibility for the National Sports Authority. The committee investigated reports that some of the football matches in the National and other Israeli leagues last season were “fixed” after the games were sold out in advance. The report blamed officials of the Israel Football Association and individual clubs and players. It recommended ending the system whereby licensed football pools are supervised by the Football Association and called for a review of the amateur status of clubs and players “so that reality conforms to the rules and regulations.”