FC WIT Georgia issues an apology after footballers’ arrest for match-fixing
By Tea Mariamidze
Wednesday, May 22
Football Club WIT Georgia has released a statement of apology to the Georgian society after the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG) arrested eleven footballers for match-fixing, out of whom five are from WIT Georgia.
“We have been in Georgian football for 22 years; It is not a short time. We remember bitter losses, even pain, and frustration, but we have never been affected by any of the events this much. This situation destroys our club’s dignity and harms the image of the whole Georgian football,” the statement reads.
The football club strictly disapproved the concept of match-fixing and expressed will to closely cooperate with the Football Federation and other bodies to eliminate the risks of match-fixing
“It is hard to overcome such a crisis, but we are not going to give up,” the club’s statement reads.
It also says that they will wait for the investigation results and accordingly make decisions.
“With all our responsibility we apologize to Georgian football fans and the whole Georgian society,” the club’s statement reads.
FC WIT Georgia is a Georgian football team from Tbilisi. The team is sponsored by WIT Georgia Ltd (a subsidiary of the US WIT, Inc.), a pet food, accessories, and human and veterinary pharmaceuticals import company.
On Monday the SSG said that Anti-Corruption Agency of the State Security Service of Georgia, as a result of operative-searching and investigative activities detained 8 active and three former footballers on the fact of bribing of the participants of sport competition and fixing the football matches by the players of the second and highest league.
“Investigation established that the members of the organized group criminally contacted the footballers of football clubs and in return for a certain amount of money, arranged to lose with the rival team through the pre-agreed score with so-called “handicap”- for two or more goals,” the statement reads.
The agency said that on April 3, 2019, the footballers of FC “Lanchkhuti’s Guria” bribed by the organized group, participating in the 2nd league of Georgian National Championship on the basis of preliminary agreement, lost with two goals difference the second half of the match between the football club “Tbilisi’s Merani” and “Lanchkhuti’s Guria”.
Agency also stated that similarly, on May 19, 2019, the bribed footballers of FC “Wit Georgia” participating in Georgian National Championship highest league, based on preliminary agreement, lost with two goals difference with the FC “Batumi Dinamo.”
“The members of the organized criminal group and the footballers received a sum of money in especially large quantities, in total GEL 93 500, as a result of previously fixed-scores,” SSG said.
The investigation is underway on the matter of bribing of sports competition, Article 203, paragraph III and IV of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which envisage from 4 to 6 years of imprisonment.
