EPL CEO Richard Scudamore "has called for a blanket ban on players betting on football markets to be introduced as the game’s integrity comes under scrutiny amid investigations into allegations of match-fixing around the world." Scudamore: "If a person is involved in football they shouldn’t be allowed to bet on football -- the time has come for that to happen. This debate went around about two years ago and we introduced through the FA rules that mean you cannot bet on any competition that you’re involved in" (LONDON TIMES, 12/22). ... Ethiopian police "have arrested five more people suspected of plotting suicide bombings during Ethiopia's World Cup qualifying match against Nigeria in October." The planned attack "failed when two Somali suicide bombers accidentally blew themselves up" a few kilometers from Addis Ababa Stadium, where football fans were gathering (REUTERS, 12/19). ... The FA of Malaysia's disciplinary committee "imposed a life ban on five players and three team officials, including a kitman from the Kuala Lumpur Premier League football squad for match fixing scandals this season" (THE STAR, 12/21).
