Arsimi and Teteks cancelled their scheduled friendly matches against Ohrid Lychnidos after several Macedonian media reported that the club was involved in a betting scandal by fixing their previous test match against Rabotnichki.

photo by GFK Ohrid Lychnidos: the Ohrid players on a winter training

Several media have accused Ohrid that its players were deliberately letting in goals in the 8:2 defeat by Rabotnichki, adding that the Rabotnichki players “were left astonished of how easy they were scoring”. It is unknown to us if even those media were present at the match as none published any photos, but all just published articles with only the results.

Both clubs reacted to the accusations, as well as the two next opponents of Ohrid.

“FK Rabotnichki, as a club with integrity and tradition, is absolutely always committed to maximum sportsmanship and chivalry on the football fields, and will continue to do so honestly and with the sole intention of respecting fair play and nurturing true sporting values.
The club informs the public that it is in no way involved in the insinuations and possible attempts at backstage games regarding the result of the friendly match against Ohrid Lychnidos. Rabotnichki has the sole goal of preparing the team for the second part of the season as best as possible and in that direction and with purely sporting intentions played the match. The club will always make maximum efforts for clean football and respect for opponents and the competition, and in that direction we are absolutely at the disposal of the Football Federation of Macedonia for any help and cooperation.” – is the reaction of Rabotnichki.

“KF Arsimi 1973 informs the public that it has decided to cancel the friendly match, which was planned to be held against GFK Ohrid.
This decision was made as a result of the appearance and circulation of recent information in the public opinion, which is related to doubts about the integrity of a friendly match held by the opposing team. In order to preserve the integrity of our club, respect the principles of fair play, honest and transparent competition, as well as to contribute to the stability and credibility of football in the country, KF Arsimi 1973 assesses that in these circumstances it is not appropriate to participate in this match. We support the Football Federation of Macedonia, which is constantly committed to preserving the integrity, regularity and transparency of competitions, as well as in the fight against all phenomena that may damage the image and reputation of football. This decision does not represent an accusation or premature conclusion against any subject, but is a principled and responsible stance, oriented towards protecting the reputation, image and values ​​of our club.
We thank you for your understanding.” – informed Arsimi in its statement.

“FK Teteks informs that it has decided not to play the planned control match with GFK Ohrid. The decision was made after an internal analysis and serious consideration of the circumstances that have recently disturbed the football public, and which are related to activities in which GFK Ohrid is involved. In such conditions, the club believes that the necessary prerequisites for normal sports cooperation do not exist. As a club with a clear stance and principles, we cannot afford to participate in matches that, even indirectly, can leave room for doubt in the regularity and sports ethics. This decision was made solely in the interest of protecting the reputation of FK Teteks, our football players, fans and football in general.” – said Teteks in a statement.

“GFK Ohrid Lychnidos distances itself from all the untruths and public lynching that is happening today. GFK Ohrid is an ambitious club and a project with the highest goals and we as a club are on our way to achieving that, as evidenced by the results achieved so far, with which we are in first place in the second league. It is the professional duty of all media to check the information before publishing it. On this occasion, we would like to emphasize that throughout the season, GFK Ohrid was the target of various refereeing injustices in a large part of the matches and we as a club never reacted and only witnessed their limit, which was long ago exceeded. We call on all competent institutions to publicly publish the evidence of the allegedly received reports of suspicious payments and activities during the match with Rabotnichki, otherwise we will consider this to be an orchestrated attack by someone who is bothered by the success of GFK Ohrid and we as a club are seriously considering the possibility of taking appropriate legal mechanisms against all those involved in this construction against our club.
In fact, in the previous days, the entire football public witnessed high defeats in control matches by other teams and the question of any suspicious activities was never raised. GFK Ohrid always stands for fair and sporting behavior and has never been and will never be part of any ‘backstage games’. GFK Ohrid is at the disposal of the Football Federation of Macedonia and all competent institutions in order to correctly and completely determine the factual situation.” – said Ohrid Lychnidos in their statement.