DOHA: Chris Eaton has warned that Singapore’s release of match manipulator Dan Tan can only “embolden old and new” results fixers to wreak havoc in world football.

Dan Tan Sng Eet was freed by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menonafter being held in detention for two years. The judge ruled that Dan Tan activities could not be considered as causing deliberate harm to Singapore.

However Eaton, former FIFA security director and now head of integrity for the Qatari-based Internatonal Centre for Sport Security, has disagreed profoundly with the judge’s perception.

Eaton described the ruling as “quaintly 19th century and out-of-touch” in a globalised society “where actions in one part of the world can impact anywhere else in the world.”

Eaton added: “This is the sort of attitude that turned the world of sport into roundly criticising Singapore as hypocritical by not showing good global citizenship in the first place.

“If your economy and reputation are internationalised, you must have a duty of care to that global market place, not just your own borders.

“If this is a failing of extra-territorial legislation, then the Singapore government must fix it, so that their courts do not look so out of touch with the connected global realities that have served to make Singapore what it is.

“Dan Tan Seet Eng wrought enormous damage in the global sport of football.  Evidence of it abounds internationally.  If your law doesn’t  fit a modern world, fix it now so it does, just like Dan Tan fixed football matches.”

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