Match-fixing

[Furtho]

Telegraph report on match-fixing in English lower leagues, here. Six arrests including former player, now agent, Delroy Facey.

[enzee199]

Match-fixing

A few years back I read a really interesting book about the throwing of 1919 Baseball World Series, 8 Men Out. It was a real eye-opener, not just about gambling, but about wilful blindness on the part of almost everyone.

We've known for years there have been issues. A spate of floodlights going ping as well as players admitting to routinely manipulating penalties, cards and throw-in's

Yet, where has there been any serious attempt to root it out?

I'll bet that it's all just the tip of the iceberg.

[trimster]

Match-fixing

The Hornchurch players were English, not Australian. They were brought to Melbourne en masse to play for a club called Southern Stars in the Victorian Premier League. They finished bottom- losing every game except one: a 1-0 win over the previously undefeated eventual champions Northcote City!

All very suspicious, but everyone has virtually forgotten about it now- as often happens with match fixing allegations.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Match-fixing

Here's an article by the liquidator from january

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Match-fixing

As long as you have the ability to gamble on lower league games, there is always going to be pressure on clubs/players to ensure a particular event will happen. I was in a bar in Tirana on Friday, and there were half a dozen or so locals working out what bet to put on that night's Sutton v. Dorchester game. It's almost impossible to police, given the universal nature of football gambling right the way down to the Conference South.

[My Name Is Ian]

Match-fixing

I am not in the slightest bit surprised by this. I was told a story about match-fixing in the Conference that I was asked not to run for legal reasons about three years ago.

[enzee199]

Match-fixing

I wouldn't be surprised if the focus falls on steps 2-3 of the non-league Pyramid. It has to be a real fertile ground for match-fixing. Most clubs have little to play for in 23-24 club divisions as even if promoted they'd fail ground-grading. The players also move around a lot, though remain in a certain locale so there's a lot of mates and former-colleagues facing each-other each week.

It's also a tough-life for players, travelling huge distances for 10 minutes freezing cold on a grim mid-week night in front of one man and his dog. The rewards for the top players are ok, but for the rest it's probably a pretty paltry amount so you can see how tempting it might be to top-up by fixing the result of some ultimately inconsequential match.

The lack of TV cameras probably helps too.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

Match-fixing

Though fans of clubs at those levels will bang on about the players' GRIT and PASSION. REAL FOOTBALL!

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Match-fixing

If you can link unusual betting patterns to unusual payments to players, managers or officials, then you've probably got a decent case. But otherwise, most match-fixing (unless it's completely blatant like a team losing 10-0) comes down to proving that individual players made mistakes they wouldn't otherwise make, which is almost impossible to prove. Indeed, Bruce Grobbelaar's defence in 1996 was broadly along the lines of "you say I let in three goals in that game, here's another 25 games where I let in three goals".

Spot-fixing, I can get. If you can nobble say, to pick at random a player with no connections to the underworld Steven Gerrard, and guarantee he won't score in any particular game, you might have an edge on the "first scorer/any scorer" markets that could make you some money. But even there, it's going to be tough to make it worth your while. People don't bet millions on those sorts of markets, surely?

[Magik]

Match-fixing

Has any of you ever witnessed a fixed match?

[Seven Saxon Kings]

Match-fixing

It's hard to tell when the players are so prone to making horrendous gaffes when they are actually trying their best.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Match-fixing

Magik wrote: Has any of you ever witnessed a fixed match?

I think I have. In Tirana, Champions League qualifier against a Swedish team. 0-0 half time, 0-4 full time. Allegedly, the chairman made enough money off that game to pay for the rest of the season.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Match-fixing

Grobelaar stayed at a friend's house the week before the verdict - he was convinced he would be convicted.

[Freestyling buck wilding Stijn Stijnen]

Match-fixing

Delroy Facey? CTT to thread.

[salt n shake]

Match-fixing

Disappointed in Delroy is this is true - loved the bloke at Notts.

[Gangster Octopus]

Match-fixing

Is there anywhere he hasn't played?

[Outside Agent]

Match-fixing

Vicarious Thrillseeker wrote: As long as you have the ability to gamble on lower league games, there is always going to be pressure on clubs/players to ensure a particular event will happen. I was in a bar in Tirana on Friday, and there were half a dozen or so locals working out what bet to put on that night's Sutton v. Dorchester game. It's almost impossible to police, given the universal nature of football gambling right the way down to the Conference South.

Don't underestimate how big gambling on lower league football is in the farther reaches of Europe. I was in Belgrade a few years ago and got chatting to a fella who regularly gambled on Irish football, particularly matches in the First Division. Off the top of his head, he could tell me which sides were on good & bad runs, and he could list off recent results. I found it odd why he gambled on Div1 - games which only attract a couple of hundred spectators and barely raise a mention outside the localities of the two competitors. On reflection, I wonder if he had a spotter at the game giving him instant updates which would reach him quicker than standard updates would reach betting companies HQ, thus allowing him to stay one-step ahead of the betting-in-running markets.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

Match-fixing

On reflection, I wonder if he had a spotter at the game giving him instant updates which would reach him quicker than standard updates would reach betting companies HQ, thus allowing him to stay one-step ahead of the betting-in-running markets.

You can't normally bet in play where there isn't a TV feed, can you? In the era of smartphones it would be madness for bookies to allow this.

[Freestyling buck wilding Stijn Stijnen]

Match-fixing

The BBC were covering this story on the 24 news channel that I had on in the background last night, and they mentioned a guy called Dan Tan being involved.

Nothing to add here, other than the fact that it kept sounding as though a cockney geeza was grabbing the mic, whilst performaing a spoken-word tribute to Petula Clark's hit 'down town' at intermittent periods, which was making me laugh, but I guess you had to be there.

Here's an article on the fella.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/dan-tan-the-man-who-fixed-football-8554751.html

EDIT: He's the mastermind according to that story!

[Gangster Octopus]

Match-fixing

BBC Sports WebSite wrote: Two footballers from Whitehawk FC, a Conference South team in Brighton, have been charged over match-fixing allegations, the National Crime Agency said.

Michael Boateng and Hakeem Adelakun, both 22 and from the Croydon area of south London, were charged with conspiracy to defraud contrary to common law.

An NCA spokesman said: "The Crown Prosecution Service's Organised Crime Division found sufficient evidence and was satisfied it was in the public interest to authorise charges."

The two men have been bailed to appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on 11 December.

[cantagalo]

Match-fixing

Sam Sodje was one of my favourite ever Brentford players. He was a real personality. He had great speed which he used both to outpace forwards and for devastating dribbles upfield and a prodigious leap to win headers against much taller opponents. He'd be crazy and inspirational in equal measure. Signed from Margate by Martin Allen, his debut was delayed by having to serve an eight match suspension.

His arrest immediately made me think of a match at Gillingham in March 2006. With the score at 1-1, Sodje's reckless and completely unnecessary tackle on a Gillingham player in stoppage time in the first half conceded a penalty. Sodje was substituted at half-time and Gillingham went on to win 3-2.

Now as I've said, Sodje was prone to do crazy things on the pitch but you can't help but think there might have been something else behind it. Brentford went on to finish third, three points behind Colchester in second place (and with a better goal difference). Needless to say, we lost in the play-offs to Swansea.

[Furtho]

Match-fixing

DJ Campbell's been arrested too, say the BBC.

[Mitch]

Match-fixing

I once saw his brother (Efe) get a yellow in the first 10 seconds of a game, then follow it up by scything down every player in sight until he got sent off a few minutes later. I really, really hope it's a coincidence!

[Jah Womble]

Match-fixing

What is it about DJs being arrested lately?

[Giggler]

Match-fixing

Mitch wrote: I once saw his brother (Efe) get a yellow in the first 10 seconds of a game, then follow it up by scything down every player in sight until he got sent off a few minutes later. I really, really hope it's a coincidence!

Was that for Crewe against Wigan? I've got a mate who's a Crewe fan who describes Sodje running from defence to the halfway line from Wigan kicking off and chopping someone in half.