Two top Ukraine clubs have been deducted points and fined for fixing a league match in 2008 and the general director of the country's Premier League has been suspended, the Ukrainian Football Federation said Tuesday.
Metalist Kharkiv and Karpaty Lviv were each deducted nine points and fined $25,000, and all Karpaty players had penalties of $5,000 to $10,000 imposed, said a Ukraine Football Federation statement.
The federation also gave life bans to Metalist director Yevhen Krasnikov and Karpaty defender Sergei Lashchenkov.
Oleksandr Yefremov, the general director of the Ukrainian Premier League, has been banned from taking part in any activities connected to football for the next six months.
Lashchenkov was sent off during the 4-0 win for Metalist on April 19, 2008. Lashchenkov, who now plays for Azerbaijani team Olimpik Baku, admitted match-fixing, the federation said.
Metalist president Oleksandr Yaroslavskiy, however, denied the allgeations and called the ruling an ''openly repressive decision,'' in a statement posted on his club's website.
Metalist and Karpaty are fifth and sixth, respectively, in the current season, which is six rounds old. The points deduction would see them drop to the foot of the standings. They also both feature in Europa League playoffs this week.
