From Reuters
The unlikely AFC Cup run of Vietnam side Vissai Ninh Binh looks set to end at the quarter-final stage after the club ripped apart by a match-fixing scandal were beaten 4-2 at home by Hong Kong’s Kitchee in the first leg on Tuesday.
Soccer ball in front of goal. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Ninh Binh’s owners withdrew the team from the V.League 1 after the scandal broke in April when 11 players admitted to illegally betting on matches, including their AFC Cup group win against Malaysian side Kelantan.
The guilty party, nine of whom face trial later this month, were suspended by the Vietnam Football Federation, with more players departing the 2013 domestic cup winners as they looked for a team with regular matches.
But despite the gutting of their playing stocks, Ninh Binh’s youth players stood up to the continental task and, under the guidance of head coach Nguyen Van Sy, won their final group game 4-1 at Yangon United and then beat India’s Churchill Brothers in the last 16.
Read the full story from Reuters.
