Vietnamese coaches and referees charged with match-fixing

HANOI, June 9 (Reuters) Vietnamese police have charged 17 referees and coaches with involvement in match-fixing, state media reported today.

Just hours before the opening match of the World Cup finals in Germany, the Lao Dang (Labour) newspaper said the coaches were accused of giving the referees, including one FIFA-certified official, up to 750 dollar to fix two league matches in March and April 2005.

Executive manager Vu Tien Thanh and coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh of East Asia Bank-Pomina Steel (EABPS), the club involved in both games, were arrested last year accused of bribing referees to help win promotion to the top tier V-league.

The officials were also accused of fixing several other matches in 2004 and 2005 and face up to 20 years in jail if found guilty.

No date for the trial has been set.

Vietnamese police launched a ''clean hands'' campaign last September aimed at ridding the country's most popular sport of corruption.

REUTERS AY HS0944