Tran Manh Dung (right), one of nine players of Ninh Binh, has been banned for life from any football-related activity by the Chairman of the AFC Disciplinary Committee. — Photo news.zing.vn

HA NOI (VNS) — Nine Vietnamese players were banned for life from all football-related activities by the Chairman of the AFC Disciplinary Committee on May 20, due to their involvement in match-fixing, according to the-afc.com.

Earlier, they admitted that they had bet on their own match against Malaysia's Kelantan FA at the 2014 AFC Cup on March 18. Officials said the players pocketed VND800 million ($38,000) from their winnings.

The Viet Nam Football Federation's (VFF) Disciplinary Committee permanently suspended the players, all from Vissai Ninh Binh club, on December 25, 2014, following a temporary suspension handed down on May 20, 2014. The Chairman of the AFC Disciplinary Committee has now extended the ban to become permanent and to take effect at the confederation level. This means that the nine players are banned from all football activities in all AFC Member Associations.

This action was undertaken following a request from the VFF, pursuant to Article 136 of the AFC Disciplinary Code.

The players are: Tran Manh Dung, Nguyen Manh Dung, Pham Xuan Phu, Le Quang Hung, Chu Ngoc Anh, Le Van Duyet, Nguyen Gia Tu, Phan Anh Tuan and Nguyen Van Hung. — VNS