Cameroon officials are to investigate claims that seven of their players were involved in match-fixing at the World Cup in Brazil.<\/p>\n
The ethics committee of the African country’s football federation will look at allegations of “fraud” by “seven bad apples” in their three group games.<\/p>\n
The allegations have been made in a German news magazine Der Spiegel by a convicted match fixer from Singapore.<\/p>\n
Cameroon lost all their Group A games, including\u00a0a 4-0 defeat by Croatia.<\/a><\/p>\n The Indomitable Lions had Alex Song sent off for lashing out at Mario Mandzukic in that game, while team-mates Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Benjamin Moukandjo clashed late on in the game.<\/p>\n A statement from Cameroon’s FA read: “Recent allegations of fraud around Cameroon’s 2014 Fifa World Cup three preliminary games, especially Cameroon versus Croatia, as well of the ‘existence of seven bad apples [in our national team]’ do not reflect the values and principles promoted by our administration, in line with Fifa’s code of conduct and the ethics of our nation.<\/p>\n “We are strongly committed to employ all means necessary to resolve this disruptive matter in the shortest delays.”<\/p>\n Fifa did not comment on whether it was looking into the issue as football’s world governing body did not want to “compromise any possible investigations”.<\/p>\n It did, however, add: “Speaking generally, the integrity of the game is a top priority for Fifa and as such we take any allegations of match manipulation very seriously.”<\/p>\n Cameroon’s build up to the tournament in Brazil was marred by theplayers refusing to board a plane to Brazil<\/a>\u00a0until a dispute over bonus payments had been settled.<\/p>\n A financial package was eventually agreed with Cameroon’s football federation, Fecafoot, but the squad’s journey to the World Cup had been delayed for almost a day.<\/p>\n They started the tournament with a\u00a01-0 defeat by Mexico<\/a>\u00a0prior to the loss to Croatia and being beaten 4-1 by hosts Brazil.<\/p>\n