XtraTime Web Desk: UK based bookie Sanjeev Chawla, the main accused in match fixing scandal involving Hansie Cronje has told police that no cricket matches are played fairly, all are fixed.
Chawla was brought back to India in February this year after taking shelter in the United Kingdom for two decades. He was the mastermind behind the biggest match-fixing scandals that rocked India involving former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje during India South Africa series in 2000.
Recordings of Chawla’s conversation with the late Proteas skipper exposed the biggest corruption scandal in the game of cricket. Having chased him for nearly 20 years, the police managed to bring the 50-year-old back to India after completing formalities of his extradition from a UK court at the beginning of the year. While the investigation has been ongoing, Chawla has made a shocking revelation by suggesting that no cricket match played at the professional level is 100% fair.
“No cricket match is fairly played. All the cricket matches which people see are fixed”, he was quoted as saying by Indian Express.
According to Chawla, ‘There is an involvement of a very big syndicate and underworld mafia that controls what happens in the cricket game, just like “movies which are already being directed by someone”.
As per the report in the paper, Chawla also revealed that the investigating officer DCP (Crime Branch) Dr G Ram Gopal Naik is in the hit list of underworld mafia. He refused to disclose any further details about his connections to the underworld in the fear of getting killed as well.
“A very big syndicate/underworld mafia is involved in this matter and they are dangerous people and if he says anything they will get him killed,” he said.
The London-based bookmaker born in New Delhi, has admitted to have fixed matches on several occasions.