Wilson Raj Perumal was arrested in 2011 in Helsinki in connection with match-fixing and was sentenced to two years in prison. Perumal admitted fixing international friendly matches but has made stunning new claims in a book, Kelong Kings.
In the book, co-written with investigative journalists Alessandro Righi and Emanuele Piano, Perumal claims that he influenced the outcome of games via a shell company he set up called Football4U.
Football4U was apparently a front to influence players and officials and it was allegedly used to that effect through an intermediary called Bee Hoon to influence a game that ensured Honduras qualified for the World Cup in South Africa.
The Hondurans were unaware of the intervention, the book adds.
Perumal's revelations regarding his influence on Nigeria’s qualification go far deeper, however, and can be read on The Guardian's website.
Having promised a football official that he would help ensure Nigeria’s qualification, he alleges he offered the Mozambique FA a $100,000 (£59,400) bonus to hold Tunisia – the Super Eagles’ closest challengers – to a draw.
He also claims that he leant on players on his payroll to ensure Nigeria qualified. Mozambique secured a highly unlikely 1-0 win.
Of his role in this reported match-fixing, Perumal remains unrepentant, claiming: “My plan had worked and I was the unsung hero of Nigeria's qualification to the final rounds of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
"Ferrying Nigeria and Honduras to the World Cup was a personal achievement. 'F**k,' I thought. 'I got two teams to qualify for the World Cup but I cannot tell anyone.'"
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