JOIN USForty-one players from South Korea's K-League have had their lifetime bans extended worldwide following a match-fixing scandal, although 21 of them have been offered a reprieve, FIFA said on Wednesday.
The 41 had already been banned for life by the Korea Football Association following the scandal which erupted in 2011 and involved matches played the previous year. The scandal led the South Korean government to threaten to wind up the K-League if action was not taken.
Ten other players involved in match-fixing were given worldwide bans by FIFA in June while in March, South Korea's volleyball association banned 11 players for life in a bid to curb corruption in domestic sport.
FIFA said that a reprieve had been offered to 21 players who turned themselves in during the voluntary reporting period and expressed "grave regret" about their involvement in match-fixing.
The players would have to undergo a probation period of between two and five years, including periods of community service ranging from 200 to 500 hours. Guatemala last year gave lifetime bans to three regular internationals.