Foul!

Victorian County Court sentenced Malaysian Segaran “Gerry” Subramaniam, 46, to three years in prison, with two years suspended after he pleaded guilty to one count of conduct corrupting the betting outcome of  Victorian Premier League football matches. Segaran, who has already served 222 days, will be eligible for release in approximately 5 months, at which point he will be deported to Malaysia. The court heard Segaran, who had played soccer semi-professionally and worked as an air conditioning technician and clown in Malaysia and New Zealand, had been recruited by a more senior member of the syndicate, known as “Jason”, through soccer circles in Malaysia.  Read more here . Meanwhile, Wilson Raj Perumal, one of the most infamous match-fixers in the world, has been nabbed in Helsinki last week. According to Helsinki Times, Wilson was taken into custody in the Finnish capital last Wednesday at 9.20 pm on an international arrest warrant issued by Singaporean aut...

Ah, match-fixing...a subject close to my heart. Those who know me well would have read my articles especially those published in The Malay Mail on the subject. There was the Con Deal? between the presumed Zimbabwe team and Malaysia in 2009 which lead to the sacking of Zimbabwe FA CEO Henrietta Rushwaya (who was later arrested ). Then there were several President's Cup players who confessed having been approached by bookies as revealed here . I remember writing about Singaporean KM Rajendran and the infamous Wilson Raj Perumal - who is believed to have a hand in the Zimbabwe-Malaysia match that I exposed. Even a coach of a football team spilled the beans as reported here . So much so, investigative journalist Declan Hill - widely known for his book The Fix - gave me special mention in his blog . However, match-fixing is nothing new in the country. Many still remember the 1994 fiasco that saw the suspension and banning of more than 100 players and coaches in the ...

The South African Football Association conceded Saturday that it had been "infiltrated" two years ago by now-convicted match-fixer Wilson Perumal and his "bogus" football company Football4U -- which was actually a front for Asian betting syndicates. Read the full article here. Who is Wilson Raj Perumal? Well read my previous articles here , here and here to better understand the Singaporean. HD says: What isn't 'fixed' these days???? Sigh!

Ah parents. Some are fun, some are over-protective. Some can get annoying. But they are parents and we love them no matter what. Nevertheless, there is a need for parents to realise - their children have wants and needs too. From the Sidelines today speaks about Parenting gone wrong . I'm no parenting expert but I hope my children - if I have any - will enjoy life to the fullest. The foot note to my column was surprisingly missing from the online version. It read: Haresh Deol is a Senior Journalist with The Malay Mail. He vows to teach his children how to climb trees, swim in a river and play bare footed on a field in the name of fun. He blogs at www.hareshdeol.blogspot.com and receives brickbats at haresh@mmail.com.my On another note, Wilson Raj Perumal is sentenced to two years in prison . HD says: Life's all about having fun.