Every single cricket match that’s played is fixed, claims bookie Sanjeev Chawla
Bookie Sanjeev Chawla has accused every match of being fixed
|BCCI
Bookie Sanjeev Chawla, the prime accused in the match-fixing scandal in 2000 that rocked cricket, has made a startling claim that every single cricket match played professionally is fixed. Chawla also hinted at the involvement of ‘a very big syndicate/underworld mafia’ that controls the whole sport.
The world of cricket was rocked in the year 2000 when it was revealed that, the then-South African skipper Hansie Cronje was guilty of accepting money for under-performing and throwing away matches when the South African side toured the sub-continent in 2000. Bookie Sanjeev Chawla emerged as the prime accused in the case, with him, along with one other person, said to have manipulated Cronje into spot-fixing in return for money. Eventually, both Chawla and Cronje were named in a 70-page charge sheet by the Crime Branch for "fixing matches played between India and South Africa from February 16, 2000, to March 20, 2000, in India.”
However, it was only recently, in February this year, that the Indian police got hold of Chawla, after completing legal formalities for his extradition from a UK court, after the bookie fled India in 2000. Now, in a scathing revelation, Chawla, in a statement to the Delhi police, has said that every professional match played in cricket is tainted, with them being fixed in one way or another. Chawla also hinted at the involvement of a ‘very big syndicate/underworld mafia’ in the sport, which is allegedly said to be controlling the outcome of games.
“No cricket match is fairly played. All the cricket matches which people see are fixed”, Chawla was quoted as saying by Indian Express.
Further on, the 50-year-old is also allegedly said to have revealed that the syndicate had on its target the case’s investigation officer DCP (Crime Branch) Dr G Ram Gopal Naik, with his life being under threat. Chawla also reportedly insisted that the underworld mafia “are dangerous people and if he says anything they will get him killed”.
