By ERIC SAMUEL

PETALING JAYA: Former Lebanon international Ramez Dayoub’s playing stint with Selangor in the M-League and AFC Cup competition has ended prematurely.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have alerted the FA of Malaysia (FAM) of the life ban imposed by the Lebanon FA on Dayoub for alleged match-fixing.

The 28-year-old Dayoub and Mohamad Al-Ali, who plays for Persiba Balikpapan in the Indonesian Super League (ISL), have been accused of illegally betting on several national and continental games involving Lebanese teams and the national team. They were banned for life and fined US$15,000 each by the Lebanon FA on Tuesday.

The dailystar.com.lb website also reported that the two were among 24 Lebanese players involved in a bribery scandal that has rocked the nation.

It said that 20 of the players were suspended for a season and fined US$3,000 each while two others were banned for three seasons and fined US$7,000 each.

Dayoub, who joined the Red Giants last season, is currently with the team in Kolkata for yesterday’s AFC Cup Group H match against Kingfisher East Bengal FC.

The FA of Selangor (FAS) secretary general Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin said that the FAM had alerted them of the ban imposed on Dayoub.

“It is a worldwide ban. The AFC informed FAM of Dayoub’s ban on Tuesday night. As such, Dayoub will not be allowed to be involved in any football activities with immediate effect,” said Hamidin from Kolkata yesterday.

The FAS will call for an emergency meeting soon to look for a replacement.

The Lebanese football scandal came to light late last year when a number of players were accused of manipulating the national team’s results in the World Cup qualifiers.

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