Singapore mastermind jailed in Finland for global match-fixing ...

A man from Singapore was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday for bribing players in the Finnish soccer league in a case FIFA described as a breakthrough in the global effort against match-fixing and illegal betting.

The verdict against Wilson Raj Perumal and nine players from the local team in Rovaniemi, near the Arctic Circle, highlighted the reach of the billion-dollar betting scams that have rocked the sport this year.

Perumal was high on FIFA's list of suspects when he was arrested in February while using a false passport in Finland, triggering a probe that exposed the worldwide extent of match-fixing.

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Perumal came to worldwide media attention last September for allegedly sending a fake Togo team to Bahrain for an exhibition that the unwitting host easily won 3-0.

 The referee in Bahrain, chosen by match organizers, was Ibrahim Chaibou of Niger. He is suspected of taking bribes to manipulate a string of international exhibitions, often by awarding penalties for hand ball violations. FIFA is investigating the exhibitions. Full story...

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