On Wednesday, lawyer for former SK Lierse coach Paul Put appeared before the 69th chamber of the Brussels criminal court to request that his client be acquitted. On June 13th, Put was sentenced, in absentia, to two years in prison for throwing games in Belgium. The judgment will be announced on October 30th. Paul Put’s lawyer argued that the length of time to take the case to trial had passed. He also recalled that his client had been forced by businessman Zheyun Ye to throw the games. According to the lawyer, the businessman threatened Put’s life.
In June, Paul Put, who was the Lierse coach during the 2004-2005 season, and who now leads the national team Burkina Faso, was convicted of bribery by the Brussels Criminal Court. Chinese businessman Zheyun Ye asked him to offer money to several players on his team to throw some games.
(Source: Belga)
