Nigerian striker, Victor Anichebe, who plays in China has reported his own club, Beijing Enterprises, to FIFA over allegations of match-fixing. The former Everton, West Brom and Sunderland striker reportedly lodged the complaint after alleging he was asked 'not to try' by coaches on two occasions, including for a game against their local rivals. The 30-year-old who joined the Chinese club in June 2017 claimed he was told by team-mates: 'This is China, we do as we're told.'
Mail Online reported that Anichebe has been in dispute with the club since last October and sought legal advice to take up his case. It was claimed in the report that Manchester-based sports lawyer Chris Farnell approached Beijing's general manager on Anichebe's behalf but his appeals for action have been ignored on two occasions and action has still to be taken.
According to him, while Anichebe never refused to play, the dispute has cost him a year of his playing career, one where he could have laid claim to a World Cup place with Nigeria, had he played regularly at a competitive level.
Now Anichebe has taken the complaint which is still to be denied by the club to FIFA and he hopes football's governing body will take action. Although, there have been cases of match-fixing allegations in Chinese football in the past.
Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua were stripped of their 2003 Chinese Super League title while in 2013, the Chinese FA fined 12 top-flight clubs £103,000, and banned 58 current and former officials, players and referees for match-fixing and bribery after a three-year investigation.
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