Two referees at World Cup suspected of match-fixing...

Daily Mail (Mail Online) ^ | 7/6/2014 | NICK HARRIS

[pieceofthepuzzle]

Two referees working at the World Cup have been identified as strong suspects in the fixing of international games, the Mail on Sunday can reveal. Sources say FIFA were informed during the current tournament that there is evidence of alleged past malpractice by at least two officials on duty.

FIFA gather intelligence from associations and anti-corruption partners around the world on an ongoing basis. In recent times they have been swifter to act on intelligence than in the past. But it is understood that by the time the latest information filtered up to FIFA’s security hierarchy in Brazil, the two referees in question had already officiated matches.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

I hadn't seen this before. It makes you wonder what else is going on that hasn't been discovered. Very disappointing. There is so much money involved in soccer, and where there's that much money changing hands there is always going to be someone who is willing to cheat to get a chunk of it.

[SkyDancer]

Oh Dear? Whoda thought????

[PapaNew]

Well if the World Cup is going to ratify the killing of children in the streets of Rio in preparation for the event, almost nothing else should be a surprise, least of all this.

I was a varsity soccer player at U of Washington, but I can't watch this after what Brazil did and the World Cup ratified. The whole thing should be boycotted.

[spel_grammer_an_punct_polise]

There was a special on HBO last week about Chinese gamblers buying players and officials in soccer worldwide.

Several players were jailed along with a couple of officials but the Chinese gamblers said that that will not stop the corruption.

[x1stcav]

At first I thought your lede said ‘match fighting’.

Everyone knows poofters don’t match fight.

Or do they?

Brave New World.

[Resettozero]

...where there's that much money changing hands there is always going to be someone who is willing to cheat to get a chunk of it.

What? Cheating in a sport that no one in the stadium knows the time remaining? And an accidental tripping of a player can be a red card ejection, yellow card foul, or nothing at all?

It's all very difficult to fathom how cheating by refs could be involved.

[melsec]

It is easy and most of it comes down to what happens in the penalty box - a player takes a dive and it looks “good enough” then a penalty is given. A player from a non favored side is actually tripped or his shirt pulled in the box “play on”. With such close games can very much make the difference between who wins or who does not!

[Peter ODonnell]

The team from Cameroon was suspected of collaborating in this scheme. They more or less mailed in their game against Brazil in the qualifying rounds. A savvy bettor might have expected a closer game, after all Brazil had pretty much qualified and Cameroon had played fairly well. Then they allowed Brazil to run up the score on them. I was suspicious of that particular game, and the fixed betting can be on score rather than result, as the betting houses offer odds on number of goals and score lines.

Would imagine that the more meaningful games are more protected. Two reasons, too much national pride on the line, and the players on the bigger teams are making very large salaries playing club football, therefore less open to offers. When you check out where some of the lesser team players are employed and what they make, you can see why there’s an opening for this sort of fixing.

And it probably isn’t confined to soccer. Some of these syndicates would not be above putting pressure on players by threatening their families. This could apply in NHL hockey for example with various players from eastern Europe. Ever notice how they often underperform in the playoffs?

[FatherofFive]

Soccer is for Satan

[Slambat]

“Two referees at World Cup suspected of match-fixing...”

Third world sport in a third world country, hmmmm. And
there is any questioning it? I would think that this would be
expected. We expect it from the Obama don’t we? He’s about
as primitive in culture as that sport and that country.
I’ll bet they were laying odds on how many “referees” would
get caught.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

“Some of these syndicates would not be above putting pressure on players by threatening their families.”

This is not hard to believe.

[Don Corleone]

I hope this is not true, but having been a soccer official at some of the lower levels, HS, College and Club I know how easy it is for an official to almost ‘predict’ the final outcome.

Soccer does not need this.

[heavy12773]

there is only one honest sport - pro wrestling. everyone knows it’s fixed.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

Don’t believe it.
Soccer is a stupid euro-weeny game and can’t be fixed.

[RetiredTexasVet]

It’s the reason I don’t follow professional sports or college sports anymore.

[rolling_stone]

google no era penal etc you tube

[dsrtsage]

If the smallest of third world krap holes can be good at this sport, then it prolly ain’t no sport at all