| Bacolod scandal Shame of Bacolod | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 2005 SEA Games men's football Group B Third round | ||||||
| |||||||
| Date | 24 November 2005 | ||||||
| Venue | Paglaum Stadium,Bacolod,Philippines | ||||||
| Referee | Thatsokon (Thailand) | ||||||
The2005 Vietnamese football match-fixing scandal, also known as the "Disgrace of Bacolod" or theBacolod scandal, occurred during theVietnam under-23 football team vs.Myanmar under-23 football team match on 24 November 2005, in the third round of the2005 SEA Games Men's football event inBacolod, Philippines.[1][2][3]
Several Vietnamese players were found to have intentionally underperformed in exchange for payments from a gambling syndicate, leading to criminal charges and suspensions. This scandal also had a negative effect onVietnamese football, especially concerning footballbetting andmatch-fixing.[4]
After losing to theThailand U-23 team in the2003 SEA Games finals, The Vietnam U-23 team participated in the 2005 SEA Games as the defending runner-up.[5] To prepare for the tournament, the team competed in theLG Cup and theAgribank Cup friendly tournaments and successfully won both.[6][7][8]
The Myanmar U-23 team had reached the semi-finals and finished fourth in the 2003 SEA Games.[9] They were regarded as a potentialdark horse in the 2005 edition.[10][11]
| Place | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Vietnam | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 6 |
| 2 |  Laos | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 10 | –5 | 3 |
| 3 |  Indonesia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 |  Myanmar | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | –1 | 1 |
| 5 |  Singapore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | –1 | 0 |
On 21 November 2005, playerLê Quốc Vượng contacted formerVietnam national football team playersTrương Tấn Hải andLý Quốc Kỳ to discuss fixing the match between Vietnam U-23 and Myanmar U-23.[12][13]
On the afternoon of 24 November, before the match, Lê Quốc Vượng met with eight players (Trần Hải Lâm,Lê Văn Trương,Lê Bật Hiếu,Châu Lê Phước Vĩnh,Lê Tấn Tài,Phan Văn Tài Em,Phạm Văn Quyến, andHuỳnh Quốc Anh) in a private hotel room. Lê Quốc Vượng proposed that if Vietnam won against Myanmar by exactly one goal, a local betting ring would give them 20 to 30 millionVND (around $1,000 USD) and suggested that each player also place a bet of 20 to 30 million VND.[12][14][15][16]
Almost all of the players agreed, except for Phan Văn Tài Em, who refused to participate and reported the plan to assistant coachLê Thụy Hải and interpreter Trần Hùng Cường.[16][17] Lê Tấn Tài also stated, "I can help the team win, but I don't want to get involved in the betting."[15]
Lê Quốc Vượng informed Trương Tấn Hải that the players have agreed to the deal, and told him to set up the betting and sort out the odds for the players involved. He mentioned that seven players had agreed to participate and placed a bet of 250 million VND.[16]
Vietnam started the match strong. However, midway through the first half, Myanmar changed their strategy, applying greater pressure on Vietnam. Nevertheless, the first half ended with no goals from either team.[18][19]
In the second half, Vietnam improved their performance, holding off Myanmar's offense.[20] In the 65th minute,Nguyễn Văn Biển was substituted in place of Huỳnh Quốc Anh and quickly made an impact. Just a minute later, he delivered across into the penalty area, allowing Phan Văn Tài Em to score with aheader, giving Vietnam the lead in the 66th minute. As previously agreed, the Vietnamese players started to hold onto the ball in their half to waste time. The game ended with Vietnam winning 1–0.[18][20]
Myanmar U-23 | 0–1 | Vietnam U-23 |
|---|---|---|
| Detail Details VFF | Phan Văn Tài Em 66' |
The match result triggered the promised payments, with Lê Quốc Vượng winning a bet of 250 million VND.[21][22] On 26 November 2005, He contacted his girlfriend, Phạm Thị Cẩm Lai, a flight attendant, to meet with Trương Tấn Hải and collect the money.[23][24][25] In total, Vượng received approximately 490 million VND, which included $25,000 (around 400 million VND at the time) and an additional 90 million VND. The sum was less than Lê Quốc Vượng's transfer value that year.[12][24]
Of the collected funds, broker Lý Quốc Kỳ sent 240 million VND to the players involved in the match-fixing, with the remaining winnings going to Lê Quốc Vượng.[12] Upon returning toHo Chi Minh City on 5 December, he distributed 20 million VND each to players Phạm Văn Quyến, Lê Bật Hiếu, and Huỳnh Quốc Anh, who allocated another 20 million VND for Châu Lê Phước Vĩnh.[26][27] Lê Văn Trương and Trần Hải Lâm chose not to accept any of the illicit payments out of shame.[24]
Before the semi-final match between Vietnam U-23 and Malaysia U-23, officials found signs of possible match-fixing. This led to an investigation by theGeneral Department of Security [vi] and theMinistry of Public Security in Vietnam.[28][29] Authorities intercepted a phone conversation involving a reporter allegedly acting as a broker.[30] On 2 December, the head of security for theVietnam national football team warned several players, including Phạm Văn Quyến and Trần Hải Lâm, about the situation.[30] During that time, some national team players had reported their concerns to the investigation agency, believing that certain players on the U-23 team were match-fixing, suspecting so because the team did not perform to their full potential in the match.[28][31]
On 12 December,Phạm Xuân Quắc [vi], the Director General of the Criminal Investigation Department of Social Order, summoned ten of the team's players.[28][32] Investigators believed Lê Quốc Vượng was the initiator of the conspiracy.[33] On 20 December, police discovered stashes of money at the homes of Lê Quốc Vượng and Phạm Văn Quyến.[33][34]
In response to these concerns, Vietnamese Prime MinisterPhan Văn Khải ordered an investigation into the actions of Vietnamese players.[35][36] TheVietnam Football Federation was also asked to review the situation. Their analysis of video footage from the match concluded that the actions of some players were connected to match-fixing.[36][13]
This case was tried by theHo Chi Minh City People's Court [vi] on 25 January 2007 and appealed on 20 April 2007.[23] Lê Quốc Vượng and Trương Tấn Hải were sentenced to prison,[37][38] while the other players were given suspended sentences due to mitigating circumstances.[23]
| Accused | Accusations | Sentences | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lê Quốc Vượng |
| [37][39] | |
| Trương Tấn Hải |
|
| [40] |
| Phạm Văn Quyến |
|
| [41][42] |
| Trần Hải Lâm |
| ||
| Lê Bật Hiếu |
|
All players were ordered to return the 490 million VND obtained through match-fixing and were fined 5 million VND each.[41] One of the individuals involved, Lý Quốc Kỳ, chose to turn himself in to the police on 11 July 2008 and also received a fine of 10 million VND.[38] Additionally, two other individuals,Lê Thụy Hải and Trần Hùng Cường, faced disciplinary actions for their involvement.[13][43]FIFA banned all seven players from participating in competitions in other countries.[44]