NICOSIA, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Two Cyprus' first division football clubs on Friday issued statements claiming that corruption is rampant in Cypriot soccer.
They also seek the intervention from the European football governing body UEFA and the world football governing body FIFA.
Omonia, one of Cyprus' biggest football clubs currently in second place in the standings, also accused the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) and other teams in the Cypriot football league of corruption.
"We believe there is widespread corruption in Cypriot football and the situation is not likely to change under the current CFA leadership," said the statement published on the club's official website on Friday.
"Fixed games sadly remain a common practice and a widespread reality in our world. This has to stop and that is why we decided to finally speak out," it said.
Omonia last won the league title in 2010, but it has since run into severe financial problems, mainly due to mismanagement and did not even make it to any of the two European championships.
Its statement made allegations that people connected to the underworld are involved in Cypriot football, and cited concrete matches of the team claiming that referee decisions altered the outcome.
Omonia alleged that the referee in the latest game of the club helped the opponent team, Apollon of Limassol, to win the game 2-1.
The referee, Lucas Soteriou, was slammed by Omonia after the game and later received threatening messages, for which he complained to the police. Patrols were sent outside his house.
However, the police probe could not establish the validity of the claims.
FIFA has sent to the Cypriot football authority several so-called "red files" in recent years providing evidence about suspicious games on which unusually large amounts of money had been staked.
The second team complaining, AEL of Limassol, a medium budget club who are currently league cup holders, said in a statement on Friday that "there is an organized plan" against the club in which the Referee Commission and the chief referee are involved.
The statement, which was addressed to George Koumas, the president of the Cyprus Football Association and its board, also said that the team had been wronged in its last six games by referee decisions.
"Since CFA is indifferent in relation to this organized crime against our team, one of the founding members of the Cyprus Football Association, we will apply to UEFA and FIFA attaching video material," AEL said in its statement.
Former UEFA vice president and member of the FIFA Council, Marios Lefkaritis, said the two football bodies are unlikely to intervene and look into the claims, unless strong evidence is presented to them by the two complaining football clubs supporting their allegations. Enditem
