PBA Controversy: Singaporean businessman is charged with game-fixing in the PBA and Thailand league!

After having a magnificent season, the PBA will start their offseason with a very big controversy!

 Singaporean businessman Koa Wei Quan has been charged with 14 counts of graft by Singapore’s State Courts on Thursday for allegedly trying to manipulate games in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the Thailand Basketball Super League five years ago. According to a report by the Straits Times, Koa offered up to $70,000 to several people in the Philippines and Thailand to cover the spread in numerous games. The report cited several games in which players were directly bribed to throw games.

The first instance cited was when Sergei Bien Orillo and Leo Avenido allegedly bribed Magnolia big man Ian Sangalang an amount of $5,000 to drop their 2018 PBA Philippine Cup Finals Game 5 tilt against San Miguel by a margin of at least nine points. Magnolia lost the game in double overtime, 108-99, with Sangalang putting up 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists in 49 minutes. Orillo was the previous owner of PBA D-League team Mindanao Aguilas while Avenido was playing for Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines in 2018.

In the next cited instance, an allegation was raised that players from Blackwater were bribed an amount of P525,5000 to throw their game against Columbian on April 22, 2018. The conditions were that the then-Elite have to either defeat the Dyip by four points or less or outright lose. Blackwater lost the game, 126-98. The same Blackwater team was again bribed to defeat Phoenix outright on April 25, 2018. The bribe was reportedly set at P1,500,000. However, the bribe backfired as the Elite lost to the Fuel Masters, 107-102.

In the TBL, court documents showed that Koa offered multiple bribes to Almond Vosotros, who was playing for PEA at that time. The point man of Koa in Thailand, according to the report, was one Poh Wei Hao. On June 24 of that same year, Koa wanted PEA and TGE to cover a spread of 23 points. To ensure that it would be covered, they allegedly bribed TGE’s Jalen Robinson an amount of $1,500. TGE defeated PEA, 102-85. On July 1, Vosotros was allegedly again bribed, this time for PEA to outright lose to Mono Vampire, which happened, 84-76.

The last instance cited by the report happened on July 7 when Koa and Poh offered a bribe of $1,500 to control the score of PEA’s game against Hi-Tech. Their bet was that the total score should not go over 165 points. The final score was 91-90, 16 points over the spread. If proven guilty, Koa can serve up to five years in jail and be fined up to $100,000. The hearing of Koa’s case will continue on May 18.

These allegations have serious implications for the integrity of sports in the Philippines and Thailand. Manipulation of games through bribery undermines the values of fair play and sportsmanship, and it deprives fans of the excitement and unpredictability that makes sports so thrilling. It is important that sports organizations, law enforcement agencies, and governments work together to investigate and prosecute those who engage in these illicit activities to protect the integrity of the games and the reputation of the players and teams. This case serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining transparency and accountability in sports to uphold the trust and confidence of fans and stakeholders.

Let me reiterate that everything is not proven. Specially the connivance of the players that are named.