JAKARTA • Indonesia's top football official, who has been in the job less than a month, was questioned by police yesterday over a match-fixing scandal that has rocked the country's domestic league.

Joko Driyono became acting chairman of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) in late January after Edy Rahmayadi stepped down in the wake of a corruption probe that has seen police identify more than a dozen suspects.

Joko was questioned yesterday over allegations he was involved in destroying evidence of match-fixing. National police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said: "The main focus of today's examination concerns the problem of destruction, theft and removal of evidence."

Police raided Joko's apartment last week and confiscated laptops, flash drives and dozens of documents, including match and financial records. He has been slapped with a 20-day travel ban, but has not yet been arrested.

Indonesian football has been rocked by a series of match-fixing allegations, with the association and police announcing a crackdown in December after a PSSI executive member was caught on tape trying to bribe a coach approximately US$10,000 (S$13,600) to throw a second-division game.

He resigned and was handed a three-year ban and fine.

While it has a low international profile, Indonesia has attracted ex-Premier League players including former Chelsea star Michael Essien and former Tottenham midfielder Didier Zokora.

But Indonesian football has been tarnished on the global stage by a host of problems over the years, including deadly hooliganism and foreign players dying after going unpaid and being unable to afford medical care.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE