Match fixing or fixed matches scandals over the years.

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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