Wilson Raj Perumal démet formellement l’article publié dans Der Spiegel qui accuse le Cameroun et plusieurs joueurs d’avoir délibérément truqués tous leurs matchs du premier tour du mondial brésilien. Il a publié ce démenti à travers un communiqué de presse. Malgré cela, le journal allemand maintient sa version des faits. Comment réagira maintenant la Fédération Camerounaise de Football qui a pris ces allégations pour argent comptant jusqu’à lancer sa propre enquête pour dénicher les « sept brebis galeuses »?
L’intégralité du communiqué de presse:
ABOUT THE CAMEROON VS CROATIA MATCH-FIXING ALLEGATIONS
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 played on June 18, 2014.
The Facebook chat with the Der Spiegel journalist took place a few days after the match – June 21st, as confirmed by my Facebook log – and was but an informal assessment of the behavior of the Cameroon team at the Brazil 2014 World Cup after they had played two of their three group stage matches, including the one with Croatia.
At no time did I make reference to four goals being scored or to a red card being issued. At no time did I suggest that I had any way of corroborating or substantiating what was meant to be an educated guess based on my extensive match-fixing experience. Last but not least: at no time was I informed by the Der Spiegel journalist that our chat was going to end up in the German publication.
I am shocked and amazed that a respected magazine such as Der Spiegel would go so far as to fabricate statements by yours truly with the visible aim of stirring the row over match-fixing. I apologize to the Cameroon FA and to its fans if I inadvertently offended them; it was not my intention. I strongly believe that Der Spiegel should also do the same since they placed words in my mouth that I did not utter.
Following the release of my match-fixing memoir « Kelong Kings » there has been a lot of media hype on the subject of manipulation in football. Kelong Kings has lifted the veil on over three decades of match-fixing at all levels of the game, including World Cup Qualifiers, Olympic matches and the 2010 World Cup warm-up friendlies played in South Africa. Kelong Kings has even prompted FIFA, via the NY Times, to release a report that it had kept in a drawer for two years in a late, clumsy attempt to make the revelations contained in Kelong Kings their own.
I am now back in Hungary where I have testified against my former associates in a local match-fixing trial. Kelong Kings is an honest account of what my life has been like until today. I have now turned a new leaf and wish to put my expertise at the disposal of those willing to truly fight the scourge of match-fixing. When the time is ripe I will share what I know with FIFA and UEFA, but I will not accept that my statements be manipulated at the detriment of others.
Wilson Raj Perumal
