Nepal football players get bail in WC qualifiers fixing case

Nepalese footballers breathe a lease of life for now.

New Delhi: Nepal football players who have been charged with treason following a match-fixing probe, were released on bail on Tuesday.

According to reports, Nepal captain Sagar Thapa and four other players were released on bail. The charges they face could see them face life imprisonment in prison.

The five players - Sandip Rai, coach Anjan KC, goalkeeper Ritesh Thapa, Bikash Singh as well as Sagar Thapa - are accused of accepting bribes from bookmakers in Malaysia and Singapore to lose matches.

The footballers were arrested last month on charges of match-fixing dating from 2009, including games against Jordan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Nepal’s Special Court released them on Tuesday after a bail was granted ranging from 500,000 rupees to 50,000 rupees.

Court official Jaganath Pokhrel said the players would have to appear in court again for questioning. A trial date has not been set. Government prosecutors have charged them with treason, which carries a life term in Nepal.