Football

Football match-fixing: Countries where recent scandals have been uncovered

Published

7 years ago

February 16, 2018

Olu Emmanuel

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1. Italy

Former Italy footballer Giuseppe Signori was among 16 people arrested in 2011 over match-fixing allegations in 18 games, including Serie A matches. Signori was banned from any football-related activity for five years. Just five months later, a further 17 were arrested, and another 14 the following year, all on separate allegations.

2. Singapore

In what is thought to be a milestone in the worldwide match- fixing crackdown, 14 people including the notorious ringleader, Dan Tan, were arrested in Singapore earlier this year.

The arrests came seven months after the EU identified
Singapore as the base for a vast web of fixers who are
believed to have manipulated games in Asia and Europe for years.

3. Germany.

In 2005 a £1.7 million match-fixing scandal centred on
second-division referee Robert Hoyzer, who admitted fixing
matches for a Croat betting ring.

Four years later, investigators from an organised crime task force in Bochum uncovered a network that German police believe may have been responsible for fixing as many as 300 matches across Europe, as well as a failed attempt to rig a Champions League tie between Liverpool and Debrecen.

4. Brazil

In 2005 a group of millionaire investors bribed two referees to fix results.

The Brazilian Football Federation, two referees and
a businessman were found guilty of “moral prejudice inflicted on supporters” in 2011 and fined a total of 180 million reais (£48 million).

5. China

33 players and officials were banned for life and 12 clubs
penalised after a three-year probe into match-fixing found that it was rife in the country. The Shanghai Shenhua club were fined one million yuan (£100,000) earlier this year and
stripped of their 2003 league title for rigging a game.

6. Hungary

44 Hungarians and one Singaporean national face up to 16 years in prison each for their part in an international match- fixing conspiracy dating back to 2009. The cheating affected 32 games, including an international match between two countries, a Serie A match, three in the Finnish league and 11 Hungarian First Division matches.

7. Turkey

Aziz Yildirim, the Fenerbahce president, was among about 30 people arrested in a match-fixing inquiry. He received a three- year sentence but was released on bail pending an appeal, and was re-elected as president. He insists on his innocence.

8. Finland

Wilson Raj Perumal, who was named as a contact by the fixer at the centre of this week’s allegations involving English teams, was sentenced to two years in prison in 2011 for bribing players in the Finnish league. Seven Zambian and two Georgian players from Rovaniemi received suspended sentences.

9. Australia

Four Englishman – Reiss Noel, David Obaze, Joe Woolley and Nicholas McKoy – were among players who appeared in court in September over charges relating to alleged match-fixing.

The allegations relate to the last four 2013 games of
Melbourne team Southern Stars, when they conceded 13 goals without scoring. The players have been released on bail to reappear at court next Friday.

10. Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe Football Association banned 15 players and officials for life in 2012 following their involvement in a match-fixing scandal dating back to 2007. About 80
footballers were suspended because of alleged involvement in Asian betting syndicates linked to match-fixing.

11. Nigeria
Fifa has yet to announce the outcome of an investigation into Nigeria’s 4-1 friendly win over Argentina in June 2011. The game featured Premier League players Pablo Zabaleta, John Obi Mikel and Victor Anichebe. With Nigeria leading 4-0, it saw a huge swing on some in-play gambling markets that appeared to anticipate a fifth goal. Referee Ibrahim Chaibou awarded five minutes of stoppage-time but let play carry on until, in the eighth minute of additional play, he wrongly awarded a penalty to Argentina. There is no suggestion any of wrongdoing on the players’ part.

12. Bahrain

Fifa has yet to announce the outcome of an investigation into a September 2011 friendly between Bahrain and a ‘fake’ Togo team.

That match, which Bahrain won 3-0, was organised by
Wilson Raj Perumal and was refereed by Ibrahim Chaibou.

13. South Africa

Ibrahim Chaibou was in charge of South Africa’s 5-0 friendly win in 2010 over Guatemala shortly before the World Cup .

A Fifa report found “compelling evidence” that pre-tournament matches involving the host nation had been fixed, with Wilson Raj Perumal at the centre of appointing referees for their games. Chaibou gave three penalties for handball in the South Africa-Guatemala game. Chaibou has since retired from refereeing and has denied any wrongdoing.

14. Spain

Deportivo La Coruña’s 4-0 win over Levante on April 13 this year is one of three Primera Liga matches being investigated by the Spanish league. Deportivo, fighting relegation from La Liga, scored three times in 16 first-half minutes. Javier Barkero accused some of Levante team-mates of not trying, but later withdrew the allegation.

15. Austria

Dominique Taboga, released by his club SV Groedig two weeks ago over match-fixing allegations, was arrested on Wednesday. The club said he had admitted trying to persuade four team-mates to manipulate matches, but was refused.

Prosecutors in Graz said they were investigating suspected match-fixing of 15 second-tier games between 2009 and 2011.