Laos international reportedly held over Asean Championship match-fixing allegations

Laos international Soukphachan Lueanthala is in custody in connection with alleged match-fixing at the 2026 Asean Championship, the Guardian reported on Thursday. The newspaper said it had established that the winger was being held, although neither the Lao Football Federation (LFF) nor Lao police had confirmed his arrest. The allegations concern a tournament in which Laos lost all four group matches.

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Lueanthala, who plays for Salavan United in Laos and represented his country at the championship, is understood to be accused of helping organise an alleged fixing operation for a betting syndicate believed to be based in Vietnam. The Guardian cited an unnamed source familiar with the allegations as saying he was suspected of passing instructions to teammates and linking people involved in the alleged scheme.

According to sources close to the national team cited by the newspaper, the arrest followed police questioning of several squad members after their return from the final group fixture in Myanmar in early August. The LFF had announced on 7 August that it had begun an investigation before referring the matter to police. The referral concerned suspected bribery, illegal gambling and manipulation of matches.

Laos finished their campaign with a 7-2 defeat against Myanmar. They had previously lost 5-0 to Thailand, 4-0 to Malaysia and 4-1 to the Philippines. Those results contrasted with their performances at the tournament two years earlier, when they drew with Indonesia and the Philippines, scoring seven goals and conceding 11 across four games. Vladica Grujic managed the team during the 2026 campaign.

The allegations follow an earlier disciplinary case involving Lao football. In 2020, the Asian Football Confederation imposed a lifetime ban on Thipphonexay Inthavongsa after finding that he had conspired to manipulate an international match against Hong Kong in 2017. That finding related to a separate case, not the current allegations surrounding the Asean Championship.

The Guardian said it had sought comment from the AFC about the latest allegations and whether it was assisting Lao authorities, but received no response. The LFF also did not respond to its approach. The reported custody status therefore remains distinct from public confirmation by police or the federation, and the suspected roles described in the report remain allegations.