By Durosimi Thomas BBC Sport

South African referees and club officials have been accused of bribe-taking

Allegations of match-fixing have cast a shadow over league football in three African nations, as their seasons draw to a close.

As the South African football fraternity braces itself for the arrest of referees and club officials, Ivorian federation chiefs have also been investigating claims of illegal practices in their second division championship.

South Africa cracks down on cheating

After an incredible 20-0 victory by Renaissance Club Daoukro over AS Tanda, a commission of enquiry was set up to examine the validity of the victory.

Daoukro needed three points and 16 goals without reply in that match, so the victory secured their place in the play-off that determines the teams to be promoted to the elite league.

But the play-off has been postponed indefinitely as a result of the inquiry.

Daoukro led Tanda 8-0 after just 15 minutes of the disputed tie.

Six Tanda players, incensed by their team-mates poor performance, walked off the pitch.

Match officials, who inexplicably delayed the start of the controversial match by 30 minutes, were also implicated in the matter and are expected to justify their conduct to the commission.

The match delay violated the order of the Ivorian Football Federation, which said that all the games of the four second division groups, which comprise six teams each, were to kick-off simultaneously.

In Morocco, the disciplinary body of the federation has demoted four clubs accused of match-fixing.

Hayat Fes, Association Raja Ben Souda, Union Sportive Aid Taoujdat and Najah Meknes were demoted from the third to the equivalent of the fourth division.

The sanctions were imposed after an investigation into a relegation battle saw Fes beating Taoujdat 9-0 and Ben Souda dismissing Meknes 8-0.