SEOUL, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Prosecutors in Euijeongbu, north of Seoul, confirmed star coach Kang Dong-hee's involvement in match fixing after 12 hours interrogation over fixing allegations on Friday.
Prosecutors prepared to seek an arrest warrant for the suspect after they questioned Kang for nearly 12 hours before sending him home just before 2 a.m. Friday. They're expected to decide later Friday when to apply for the arrest warrant or whether to summons Kang again for further questioning.
Kang, who has denied all fixing allegations surrounding him, stopped briefly to address the media before being pushed aside by a friend.
According to prosecutors, Kang allegedly took cash from two gambling brokers on four occasions during the 2010-2011 season in the Korean Basketball League (KBL). Kang has been the head coach of the KBL's Dongbu Promy since the 2009-2010 season.
On Feb. 28, prosecutors arrested a broker, surnamed Choi, for allegedly giving Kang cash to fix games. Then on Wednesday this week, they arrested a second broker, a former professional baseball player surnamed Cho, on the same charges.
Kang allegedly took some 40 million won (36,880 US dollars) from those two, prosecutors said.
Prosecution sources said a fourth person who allegedly supplied the two brokers with cash may also face questioning.
Kang, 46, is the first active coach of a South Korea professional sports team to come under match-fixing suspicions. If convicted, Kang faces up to five years in jail or up to 50 million won in fines.
Kang coached his team in a KBL game Wednesday before facing prosecutors' questions. The team's next game is scheduled for Saturday.
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