Delhi Football League grabbed the attention of fans across the world for a negative reason. Match-fixing allegations were leveled at a League match on Monday when Ahbab FC, who were winning the match 4-0, conceded two dubious-looking own goals late in their game against Rangers FC. The match finished 4-2 in favor of Ahbab FC.

Delhi Soccer Association (Football Delhi) decided to suspend Ahbab FC with immediate effect from the ongoing Delhi Premier League season, following a match-fixing incident and called for an emergency meeting to address the same.

This is not the first time that football in India has been accused of match-fixing. It has happened in the past and it came to light once again.

Match-Fixing in Delhi Football League

A video from a League Match between Ahab FC and Royal Rangers FC went viral on the internet on Monday, shocking many football fans not only from India but from across the world.

The incident gained traction on social media after videos of the two goals surfaced online. In the first instance, Ahbab FC players can be seen passing the ball in and around their half with no pressure or players from Rangers nearby, in the 86th minute of the match. The ‘move’ ended with one of the Ahbab players lobbing the ball back into his net for a goal, with the keeper standing away from the goalpost.

The second own goal was far more blatant as one of the Ahbab players lashed the ball into his net just before the referee blew the full-time whistle.

Delhi FC owner Ranjit Bajaj flagged the incident on his X account and said, “I can guarantee that fixing is rampant in the @FootballDelhi senior premier division- that’s why we try to play In it ever again till they take action.” Bajaj also stated in another post that the main partner of the Delhi Soccer Association was a betting company.

Investigation launched in Match Fixing allegations

All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey announced that there were serious suspicions that were aroused based on the videos and that the premier footballing body of India would be investigating the incident along with findings from other incidents over the past few months when it came to suspicious matches.

“We’ve been made aware of videos circulating on SM, raising serious suspicion on the Delhi Premier League. Prima facie, it’s very concerning. Past few months we’ve collected hard evidence on suspicious matches with continuous investigation to eliminate such instances fm #IndianFootball” said Chaubey on X.

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