THE two Sarawak footballers who were released unconditionally today at the end of their six-day remand period for alleged match fixing are not off the hook just yet.

They could face new scrutiny from their employers, the Football Association of Sarawak (FAS).

State Sports Minister Abdul Karim Hamzah said he would ask the association to sift through the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigation papers to see if “if there are hints or evidence, however little, that link them to bookies”.

Karim, a lawyer by training, said the MACC investigators may not have pressed charges against them as MACC may not have had enough evidence to meet the legal standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt.

Evidence they may have already found, however, could be good enough for the association to sack the players as their presence in the squad would be bad for morale.

“FAS needs to go deeper into details. If there is evidence, it is better to expel them from the team.

“They should not be in the squad. Better to save the team,” Karim said after attending the opening of the Sarawak Arts Congress by Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg in Kuching.

He was responding to a question on the unconditional release of defender Maswandi Zakaria, 29, and midfielder Mohd Hafiz Abu Bakar, 28, when they were brought back to court today.

Senior assistant registrar Sandy Yvette Freddy, who also released suspected bookie Mohamad Zaiman Rosli, ordered all three to walk out of her magistrate’s court without handcuffs.

The trio were remanded under section 16 (a) (A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which targets “any person who by himself, or by or in conjunction with any other person (a) corruptly solicits or receives or agrees to receive for himself or for any other person; or (A) any person doing or forbearing to do anything in respect of any matter or transaction, actual or proposed or likely to take place commits an offence”.

FAS opened an investigation into alleged match fixing last week after Sarawak let in a flurry of late goals to lose 2-3 in their home match against Felcra United a day earlier.

Sarawak was leading 2-0 until the 84th minute. The defeat led to claims on social media that a number of players were involved in throwing the match. – February 21, 2018.