Several Korisliiga players were fined for betting against the rules.
Among other things, the players of Pyrinnö and Kouvoi bet on the match played in Finland. Mika Kylmäniemi/AOP
The Finnish Basketball Association announced on Friday that a total of six players who played at the main league level or below the league level have been caught betting on the league game.
Players may not find a bet on their own matches or the matches of the series they represent. The players had put money in the box for the December 2020 men’s division A match between Pyrintö Academy and Helsinki NMKY.
The association published the names of the suspended players. The aspiration Valtteri Leppänen was the only one who played in the match. The others were Elias Diaz Finlandwho represented Kristika Turku at the time, Henri Permanto (Kouvot) and Johan Immonen (Kouvot), Aarni Korkiatupa (HBA) and Erik Sajantila (HBA).
Pyrintö was the early favorite in the match. Presumably, the players were waiting for Pyrinnö to win, as the release states that the players did not benefit financially from the rule violation. Purintö lost that game.
The players’ actions were reported to the Finnish sports ethics center SUEK. The action group against competition manipulation of the Ministry of Education and Culture and SUEK filed a criminal complaint about the cases, but no charges were brought after the police investigation.
The players were fined, the size of which the union does not say. The association states in the press release that match penalties were also considered, but they would have harmed the players’ current teams. The verdict was also influenced by losing bets.
– These cases will hopefully serve as a reminder to all parties that betting on one’s own matches or series is unequivocally prohibited. While the athlete is responsible for compliance with anti-doping regulations, all team members are responsible for complying with the betting ban, the Finnish Basketball Association’s competition director Tom Westerholm says in the bulletin.
Leppänen, who plays in Purinno, regretted his action on Twitter.
– My bet of 2 euros on my own team’s victory was a thoughtless mistake, which I regret and apologize for the violation of the rules, Leppänen comment.