Burundian-born Rwandese international football player Emery Mvuyekere who plays for Tusker FC recently disclosed how he was offered 200,000 to fix a match but he declined.
He said there is no bigger virtue in sports than integrity.
Emery recounted an incident where he recently received a text message from an unknown number with specific instructions.
“Here is your small part, let in a goal the last minute of the match and we shall pay you handsomely,” the person who only identified himself as a fixer had said in the text message.
He was contacted to fix a league match between Tusker FC and Chemili Sugar. Once he declined the offer the fixer confronted him, calling him foolish for wasting a ‘lifetime’ chance of becoming rich during these tough economic times.
“What next? Yes, I have taken the easy money, and then what happens to professionalism? Personally I cannot live with that guilt.’’
Further, Emery noted that players face tough economic times because they are forced to go without pa for months over lack of sponsorship.
“Without integrity, football will lose relevance, if we cannot trust and believe in the game, then I don’t think we should be playing it to start with’’.
His sentiments come barely a month after the sports-governning body FIFA banned four players in Kenya Premier League for match-fixing.
