Cyprus FA postpones match over betting concerns

Published Jan. 21, 2012 8:12 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Cyprus Football Association on Saturday took the highly unusual move of indefinitely postponing a first division match after judging there was ''unreasonably excessive'' betting on its outcome.

The FA said in a statement on its website that it made the decision regarding Saturday's match between Enosis Neon Paralimni and Ermis Aradippou to ''protect the sport and the teams.''

Enosis is 11th in the 14-team standings, while Ermis is last.

It called on betting companies to invalidate all bets they've received on the match and urged them to sign information-sharing agreements with it regarding betting on Cypriot teams.

The FA said it considers the postponement a one-off and that it would ask to meet with the finance minister and legislators to find ways of helping it prevent possible match-fixing.

''We repeat our determination to eliminate the problem of potentially fixed matches in our championship, while at the same time we issue an appeal to the state for help,'' it said. ''The FA cannot on its own eliminate the problem that has plagued world football in recent years.''

Although there have been suspicions of match-fixing in the past, nothing has ever been proven.

Police are investigating a domestic cup tie between Olympiakos Nicosia and Doxa Katokopia on Dec. 7 amid suspicions of match-fixing.