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| Match fixing or fixed matches scandals over the years. |
The practice of fixing matches, tarnishes the reputation of both the sport
and any team implicated in such behaviour.
The sport of football has been plagued by a disproportionate
amount of controversies, resulting in the suffering of many due to the actions
of a select few.
The act of match fixing is believed to have been present since the inception of sports. However, instances of its revelation and subsequent penalization of the offenders have been sporadic. Presented below are the five most prominent instances of fixed matches scandals that have significantly impacted the sport of football.
Choi-Sung Kuk
In the latest controversy, it has been determined that South
Korean football player Choi-Sung Kuk engaged in match fixing within the South
Korean K-League. As a result, FIFA has imposed a lifetime ban on him from
participating in football.
Choi was sentenced to a 10-month prison term, which has been
suspended for a period of two years, due to his involvement in manipulating game outcomes during two matches in 2010.
Last year, numerous football players in the K-League were charged after the disclosure of match fixing, and Choi is the most recent individual to be affected.
Italian
Football
In 2006, Juventus was implicated in an Italian fixed matches
scandal, which resulted in their demotion to Serie B and the revocation of
their 2005 and 2006 Serie A league titles.
Luciano Moggi, a former director of Juventus, was sentenced to
five years and four months in prison. Meanwhile, Andrea Della Valle and Diego
Della Valle, owners of Fiorentina, were each sentenced to 15 months in prison
and a fine of €25,000.
The President of Lazio, Claudio Lotito, was sentenced to 15 months
and fined €25,000. Additionally, the Executive of AC Milan, Leonardo Meani,
received a one-year sentence. A total of 16 individuals were convicted, and the
recovery of Italian football took a considerable amount of time.
Moggi was convicted of the crime of criminal association with the intention of committing sports fraud.
Bruce
Grobbelaar
Bruce Grobbelaar, the ex-Liverpool goalkeeper, vigorously
contested allegations of match fixing in 1994 in order to vindicate himself.
According to The Sun newspaper, Grobelaar was alleged to have
accepted bribes amounting to £40,000 in exchange for deliberately allowing
goals to be scored by Newcastle United.
Mr. Grobbelaar was initially acquitted; however, the decision was
subsequently overturned two years later following a high court ruling which
declared that:
While
it had been proved that Grobbelaar had accepted
bribes, it had not been shown that he had let in goals to fix results. It was for
this reason that the original jury had found in his favour.
Lord Bingham responded that:
He
had in fact acted in a way in which no decent or honest footballer would act,
and in a way which could, if not exposed and stamped on, undermine the integrity
of a game which earns the loyalty and support of millions.
It
would be an affront to justice if a court of law were to award
substantial damages to a man shown to have acted in such flagrant breach of his
legal and moral obligations.
Grobbelaar was ultimately found innocent.
Marseille
There have been instances of controversy in French football, such
as the fixed matches scandal involving Marseille during the early 1990s.
Under the leadership of Bernard Tapie, Marseille secured four
league titles from 1989 to 1992, in addition to winning a UEFA Champions League
trophy.
The pillars of a formidable Marseille team were dismantled in 1993
following the revelation of Tapie's involvement in fixed matches.
Marseille has been deprived of their league championship,
prohibited from participating in the Champions League, and prohibited from
participating in the Intercontinental Cup.
Mr. Tapie was sentenced to a two-year prison term, while Olympique
de Marseille faced financial difficulties and were relegated to Ligue 2.
At the time, Marseille was under the management of Raymond
Goethals.
Standard
Liege
In 1982, Standard Liege, a Belgian football club, was imposed with
a fine of £75,000 due to the actions of their manager. The manager had advised
the players to offer their match bonuses to the opposing team on the final day
of the season, with the intention of securing a victory and consequently
winning the league title. The manager's name is Raymond Goethals.
Goethals has been issued a lifetime ban from managerial duties in
Belgium, along with 13 players from Standard Liege.
Liege retained their Belgian title and subsequently, Goethals
secured a position at Marseille a few years later, as elucidated in the
preceding paragraph.
Resorting to match fixing, to gain undue advantage over others, is
unacceptable, regardless of any external pressures to secure a victory.
In all, the sport of football faces significant challenges in upholding
its reputation, particularly with regards to organised fan violence, and
further complications arising from the prevalence of betting scams and bungs.
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