Van Quyen cleared of gambling allegations.

The Criminal Investigation Department of the Ninh Binh Provincial Police has completed its investigation into the case of Ninh Binh football players allegedly involved in match-fixing and gambling.

Van Quyen (right) in Ninh Binh's most recent match - a resounding 4-2 victory against Churchill Brothers in the AFC Cup on May 13. Photo: Lam Thoa.

"Van Quyen is innocent in the recent case involving Ninh Binh players gambling," said Major Nguyen Van Hoan, deputy head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ninh Binh Provincial Police.

Recently, Van Quyen has been summoned for questioning three times. The reason is that the striker from Nghe An was present at a meal between Dao Duc Loi, allegedly a gambling ring leader, and Ninh Binh players. However, after investigation, the police stated that Van Quyen left early and did not participate in discussions about gambling during the match between Kelantan and Ninh Binh in the AFC Cup on March 18th.

The police also identified goalkeeper Nguyen Manh Dung and midfielder Tran Manh Dung as co-masterminds in this scandal. The other accomplices are Le Quang Hung, Le Van Duyet, Nguyen Gia Tu, Nguyen Van Hung, Chu Ngoc Anh, Phan Anh Tuan, and Pham Xuan Phu. This group of players participated directly or indirectly in the scheme to earn 850 million VND.

Van Thang and Danh Ngoc each received 50 million VND from the aforementioned illicit gains. However, the Ninh Binh players claimed they gave Van Thang the money because of his difficult family circumstances (he was an orphan), while Danh Ngoc's wife was about to give birth. After investigation, the police also found insufficient grounds to prosecute the two players for the crime of concealing a crime.

According to VnExpress