FIFA challenged German magazine Der Spiegel "to offer proof of match-fixing during the World Cup fixture between Cameroon and Croatia after declaring that there was no evidence to support allegations made in the publication," according to Mark Ogden of the London TELEGRAPH.
Convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal has denied that "he correctly predicted Cameroon’s result" against Croatia to Der Spiegel magazine before the game. Der Spiegel "is standing by its report but has yet to provide definitive evidence of the Facebook discussion with a journalist." FIFA Head of Media Delia Fischer said, "So far we have no evidence of any match manipulation on the betting market." Der Spiegel had claimed that "Perumal correctly predicted Cameroon would lose 4-0 against Croatia and a player would be sent off." Cameroon "did indeed lose by that scoreline, with Alex Song dismissed in the first half" (TELEGRAPH, 7/2). Perumal said in a statement, "Contrary to the 'revelations' published by the German weekly Der Spiegel that were picked up by news outlets worldwide, I did not predict the result of the Cameroon vs Croatia match. The Facebook chat with the Der Spiegel journalist took place a few days after the match - June 21st, as confirmed by my Facebook log" (PA, 7/2).
