Shakhtyor stripped of Belarusian title for match-fixing

Belarusian champions Shakhtyor Soligorsk have been found guilty of match-fixing and stripped of the Premier League title they won last season, the Football Federation of Belarus (BFF) said on Thursday.

Shakhtyor were also deducted 30 points this season and 20 next season after the BFF found that club officials organised match-fixing and offered illegal financial incentives to other teams in the league.

Two other clubs, Energetik-BGU Minsk who were last season's runners-up, and Belshina Bobruisk were also handed points deductions for their involvement in match-fixing.

Bate Borisov will take Shakhtyor's place in the qualifiers for next season's Champions League, the Belarus state-owned BeITA news agency reported.

The Belarusian soccer season runs from March to November.