Player to fight club over match fixing row

The Maritzburg United player suspended on allegations of match-fixing is ready to fight his Premiership club.

DR Congo defender Bageta Dikilu has sought legal advice after the club suspended him after last week's 1-0 defeat by Mpumalanga Black Aces in which he missed a penalty.

The player's agent Bajo Bujani said they had spoken to lawyers and would be prepared to fight a case after Dikilu was put through a polygraph test and suspended by the club.

"We want material and moral proof to show that he has been involved in match-fixing and we will conduct our own investigation. You don't make a judgement on speculation.

"Great players miss penalties and none of them is investigated like this. They should have been fair to the player and not gone public like this," said Bujani, a licensed players' agent.

Maritzburg chief executive Afzal Khan said the player had signed a written consent to undergo the polygraph test, the results of which are expected this week.

"The player's performance and actions led us to make the allegations of match-fixing and we're looking into the matter seriously.

"From his performance when we conceded a goal and prior to that when he missed a penalty, we felt that he was not performing to the best of his ability. We believe there could have been manipulation," said Khan.

The result of the match has significant bearing on the relegation battle that Aces are fighting.

The club from Mpumalanga managed to increase their lead over bottom side Jomo Cosmos by three points, with three matches left.

The bottom club is relegated automatically to the First Division, and the side that finishes second-bottom gets a chance to stay up through a promotion / relegation play-off.