(Reuters) – Forty one South Korean players have been handed worldwide lifetime bans following a match-fixing scandal in the country’s K-League, world governing body FIFA said on Wednesday.

The 41, charged after a domestic match-fixing investigation dating back to 2011, received lifetime bans from all football activity by the K-League and the Korea Football Association’s disciplinary committee with FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee extended the sanctions to have worldwide effect.

South Korean sport has been marred by match-fixing allegations in professional football, volleyball and baseball, forcing the government to declare war on the issue.

In February football officials scrapped the K-League Cup competition as part of sweeping changes brought in to avoid a repeat of last year’s match-fixing scandal.

Ten other players involved in match-fixing were given worldwide bans by FIFA in June while in March, South Korea’s volleyball association banned 11 players for life in a bid to curb corruption in domestic sport.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman)

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