Match Fixing in Football Article on BBC

TheGoalie11

Well-Known Member
Watched the highlights of the AC Milan game at the weekend and thought to myself that the defending looked dodgy. Obviously a history of match-fixing in Italy as well as France as we all know to our detriment. Found this article yesterday on BBC news - some lower league Scottish clubs mentioned as well as AC Milan - although no direct allegations against these clubs.

Sorry for the long post but thought better to copy and paste. Link here if rather:



Footballers agree to spot-fix matches for undercover reporter
By Gareth Nelson-Davies
BBC Wales Investigates
24 May 2022
Updated 25 May 2022

A footballer has been secretly filmed helping to recruit players to spot-fix matches.

A BBC undercover investigation showed former Llanelli footballer Emile N'Goy, his brother Hermes N'Goy and three European players discussing the illegal activity with undercover journalists.

Spot-fixing sees players manipulate moments in games, such as red cards, so criminals can defraud bookmakers.

Hermes N'Goy has denied he and the other four planned to spot-fix.

Emile N'Goy and the three European players - Idris Laib, Jean-Francois Mbuba and Julien Vercauteren - have been approached individually but have not responded.

Emile and Hermes N'Goy are originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo and grew up in France.

Emile N'Goy is currently without a team but has played in lower league clubs across the UK, including Llanelli Town AFC, Stranraer FC, Brechin City FC and Dorchester Town FC as well as clubs in Portugal and Italy.

There is no suggestion spot-fixing took place at any of these clubs, nor that any other players at these clubs were involved.

Following a tip-off that Emile N'Goy may have links with professional match fixers, undercover journalists for BBC Wales Investigates secretly filmed four meetings over a 20-month period with him and Hermes.

Emile was first approached by an undercover journalist at a Llanelli match and told he was looking for investment opportunities for illicit, black market funds.

Emile said he would talk to his brother about it.

At a later meeting, Hermes tells the undercover reporter: "But you know that is not legal... so you have to be very cautious when you do this kind of thing."

He then suggested recruiting three players - a defender, midfielder and a striker.

He later suggested recruiting another two players and two members of staff to help run the operation - including a man who once worked for Italy's newly-crowned champions AC Milan, who he said had fixed before.

Asked if that man had ever fixed at AC Milan, Hermes said: "No, he did the fixing with another club."

He added the man did not yet know about the spot-fixing plans being discussed.

Hermes said he would find the players in the lower leagues of Europe where there was less scrutiny.

At a later meeting in a Kent hotel, Hermes brought along his brother Emile and three other players from domestic league clubs in France and Belgium.

Idris Laib, Jean-Francois Mbuba and Julien Vercauteren all told the journalists they had spot-fixed before.

One of the journalists told them: "We're not trying to push or force anyone. So, if anybody's not happy, we don't want them to be involved."

All decided to stay and discussed taking part in a spot-fixing scheme that Hermes would manage.

Hermes told the journalists they should expect to pay the players an annual salary of 20,000-25,000 Euros (£17,000-£21,400) each. One player asked if he would be paid for the fixes in cash.

At a later meeting, he said the undercover journalists would need to pay an additional 500 Euros (£430) for every throw-in, corner or free kick they caused.

He said red and yellow cards would be more expensive: 1,000 Euros (£850) for a yellow and 2,000 Euros (£1,700) for a red.

Hermes added: "It's not like, 'you have to lose this match'. It's not like big match-fixing. It's a small thing, very invisible."

All players apart from Emile said they had taken part in spot-fixing before but Hermes reassured the journalists his brother Emile would be involved.

Terry Steans, who worked as an investigator for Fifa with responsibility for rooting out corruption and fixing across the world, was shown the undercover footage.

"The fact they're there, they're listening and they're agreeing to what has been proposed... they shouldn't be there and they shouldn't be even listening to that kind of chat.

"So that's evidence in itself, that they're in the room, that they're willing to take part.

"And he's got players on board, like-minded that will do what he wants them to do, already. So I think he's deadly serious."

He said spot-fixing could be very hard to detect as it was hard to investigate without the full weight of a police force.

Hermes was expecting to meet the undercover journalists again to complete the deal.

Instead, he was approached by BBC reporter Wyre Davies.

He denied any wrongdoing, saying: "I don't know nothing about that. I don't know what you're talking about", before walking away.

He later contacted the BBC and said his brother Emile and the three other players also strongly denied doing anything illegal.

If the plan had gone ahead and they and been caught, the consequences would have been serious.

"You're talking long bans, years... seven years for a first time match-fixing offence, so essentially, the end of their career," said Kevin Carpenter, a lawyer specialising in sports integrity.

He said corruption had always been around football.

"Top-tier football is a billion-dollar industry with players earning millions, but the other end of the scale, at the lower league clubs, players are paid just a few hundred pounds a game.

"Obviously, you only hear about things at the top level of the sport. But actually, when you get further down the levels, that's where the real corruption seems to happen."

What is spot-fixing?
People are able to place bets on almost anything in football matches, such as the number of yellow cards, if a player will be sent off, the number of corners in the first half or how many throw-ins there will be in the first five minutes of the game.

Spot-fixing sees criminal gangs pay players or officials to do exactly what they want - known as fixing.

They then place bets, already knowing what is about to happen.
 
I thought exactly the same thing with Sassouollo

They were utterly honking at the back verging on comical
Can't remember exactly what goal it was, but the one where the defender is dribbling along his own box and seems to run at slow motion was just bizarre.

Was expecting to see something about it on here but hadn't read anything and then that Abertillery popped up on my suggested reads and found it interesting Milan were mentioned.
 
Some of the conspiracies around Italian football are nuts. There is a video of a team that scored a late winner or equaliser and his own teammates were going off their nut at him as it had been fixed and he fucked it.
Is it not rumoured the mafia are/were involved in a lot of match fixing in Italy?

You got a YouTube link to the video?
 
Yellow and red card are used to manipulate games up here its been going on for ages.

Dont know if its about gambling as the CL money and positive media coverage seems far more important but its certainly a way for scottish refs/sfa to hand Celtic an advantage in the title race.

For everyone that says no way it might go on elsewhere but not with our guys, check the stats and watch them do it to Rangers again next season. It is part of the game up here.
 
Match fixing happens at all sorts of levels.

I remember playing junior a few years ago and we had guys in our team who were ex pro in the Scottish lower leagues. Towards the end of the season they said they'd often decide amongst themselves and guys in the other team to fix matches. They'd stick a wedge on it and it'd pay for their summer holidays. That's why you'd see some bizarre looking results in the last few games.

Even recently, Bristol winning 7-0 to gain automatic promotion...dodgy.

My brother's pal plays in the English lower leagues and I remember a few years ago he said he got a message from his agent about a fixed game in Spain. Can't remember the ins and outs but I think it was something like two teams near the top and bottom playing, the bottom ended up winning but there were some dodgy red cards involved in the game as well.
 
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Sassoulo have been defending like that all season for what it’s worth. They could have defended like their lives depended on it, despite it being a meaningless game, and they'd still have got pumped.
 
Happens everywhere unfortunately. Well, everywhere there isn't huge money in the game. Recorded cases in the top flight of England as recently as the 1960s. Then in the 90s, Grobelar was ultimately acquitted, but it was by a baw hair and he's lost lawsuits relating to it since. I think on the balance of probabilities he probably did it, but it just couldn't be proven to criminal standards.
 
How about match fixing for other reasons?

Like the beggars and the sheep putting us into third place

In Spain and Italy, it used to be common place for big clubs to offer bonuses to small clubs late in the season if they beat their title rivals. I think in those cultures this wasn't really considered corrupt, but it certainly would be here.
 
Happens everywhere unfortunately. Well, everywhere there isn't huge money in the game. Recorded cases in the top flight of England as recently as the 1960s. Then in the 90s, Grobelar was ultimately acquitted, but it was by a baw hair and he's lost lawsuits relating to it since. I think on the balance of probabilities he probably did it, but it just couldn't be proven to criminal standards.
Think your point about players who aren't on huge money is really valid - that would even bring our top flight, particularly lower end clubs into the debate.

Always thought the game at Ibrox where Celtic booted it straight out for a throw-in from KO was dodgy.

Did Le Tissier not admit to doing that during his career? Similar time to Grobelar maybe, before money in England was ridiculous.
 
Think your point about players who aren't on huge money is really valid - that would even bring our top flight, particularly lower end clubs into the debate.

Always thought the game at Ibrox where Celtic booted it straight out for a throw-in from KO was dodgy.

Did Le Tissier not admit to doing that during his career? Similar time to Grobelar maybe, before money in England was ridiculous.

Which OF game? I'd still suggest at that level it would be rare, but not impossible I suppose. If it was in the past 10 years I'd be extremely surprised as I doubt they'd get offered as much as a week's wage for a spot fix.

It's rife in Hong Kong, sadly. Both recently and in the era when lots of British players played here.

Incredibly, in the pre war era, Man Utd and Liverpool colluded to draw a game to prevent one from getting relegated. Can't recall which club. Basically the players were all mates. No money involved

Also, the very term Old Firm comes from the idea that the clubs worked together for their own financial benefit to the detriment to the rest of the game. I don't think it was ever proven that this stretched to onfield matters, but it was believed at the time. Fans joined together to basically burn down Hampden after they felt the clubs were drawing cup finals on purpose to pocket the replay money.
 
The decisions made by Collum last Saturday would be all the evidence you ever need. Absolutely mind boggling, bordering on comedy-esque decisions.
His performance made me think of Dermot Gallagher on SSN ref watch. He was asked about a penalty incident and the question was “if that’s not a penalty, then surely the ref has to book the player for diving?”
And the bald Dermot said this “ the ref has 3 choices here, he either gives the penalty, books the diving player or does NOTHING!” Since when did a ref get given the choice to ignore the rules during play? It seems Willie seen that too, and tried to apply it to every assault on a blue jersey!
I will admit to thinking Wullie is one of the better ones in a bad bunch, but he was below amateur in the cup final.
 
Which OF game? I'd still suggest at that level it would be rare, but not impossible I suppose. If it was in the past 10 years I'd be extremely surprised as I doubt they'd get offered as much as a week's wage for a spot fix.

It's rife in Hong Kong, sadly. Both recently and in the era when lots of British players played here.

Incredibly, in the pre war era, Man Utd and Liverpool colluded to draw a game to prevent one from getting relegated. Can't recall which club. Basically the players were all mates. No money involved

Also, the very term Old Firm comes from the idea that the clubs worked together for their own financial benefit to the detriment to the rest of the game. I don't think it was ever proven that this stretched to onfield matters, but it was believed at the time. Fans joined together to basically burn down Hampden after they felt the clubs were drawing cup finals on purpose to pocket the replay money.
Was the game we got beat 2-0 at Ibrox when Hayes scored late on - Edward booted it straight out for a throw-in from KO, was very strange.

I have heard that about the fans and Hampden before, plus why the term Old Firm was introduced. Always thought that was at boardroom level, as opposed to on-field events.
 
Yellow and red card are used to manipulate games up here its been going on for ages.

Dont know if its about gambling as the CL money and positive media coverage seems far more important but its certainly a way for scottish refs/sfa to hand Celtic an advantage in the title race.

For everyone that says no way it might go on elsewhere but not with our guys, check the stats and watch them do it to Rangers again next season. It is part of the game up here.
The fouls committed per yellow card is utterly ridiculous.And it's not just one season it's every season. The tabloids and the media would be all over like a rash if was any other team than mankys.
 
I said on another thread that I find it laughable that people don't believe this happens even at the highest level of the game.

Everyone has their price.
 
I said on another thread that I find it laughable that people don't believe this happens even at the highest level of the game.

Everyone has their price.
While I’ve no doubt it does, I’ve got no idea how/why with the sums of money involved.

Surely high street bookies must smell a rat when there is £250k going on a red card at Albion Rovers vs Elgin. Alternatively, try that on the underworld betting markets and surely you get your legs broken on a bullet in your head?
 
While I’ve no doubt it does, I’ve got no idea how/why with the sums of money involved.

Surely high street bookies must smell a rat when there is £250k going on a red card at Albion Rovers vs Elgin. Alternatively, try that on the underworld betting markets and surely you get your legs broken on a bullet in your head?

I don't think it's as obvious as that as I'm sure there was a case this season where one of the lower league players copped a ban because him and his mates put a few grand on him being sent off and it triggered red flags at the bookies.

I used to bet on the juniors quite a bit and the most I won was about £1200-1300 for a fiver or tenner. Technically I could've been banned if I was caught but I doubt anyone is looking that closely at that level. Sometimes you'd see cracking odds and through knowing a lot of players at some of the teams you'd hear of players missing through injury etc and back the other team. Worked a fair bit. Lad I knew was playing with Morton at the time and he'd give us a heads up for their reserve/under 23s games where a lot of first team players would be starting...used to get good odds on that before the bookies caught on to the lineups.
 
Should have a look into Celtic if they want to see a bit more about match fixing. Moving games at will. Pressurising referees to give them favours.

There can be no doubt - it must go on all over and I doubt we'll ever find out some of them.
 
Was the game we got beat 2-0 at Ibrox when Hayes scored late on - Edward booted it straight out for a throw-in from KO, was very strange.

I have heard that about the fans and Hampden before, plus why the term Old Firm was introduced. Always thought that was at boardroom level, as opposed to on-field events.
It’s quite common for this to happen, basically just teams trying to get on the front foot straight away.
 
There was a huge bribery scandal in English football back in the early years of the 1960's. Since those days the scope for gambling on just about every aspect of football has increased massively. Imo it goes without saying that it has become rife across many leagues.
 
For me, I shall always remember Bruges v Marseille in 92/93. Marseille’s goal in the 2nd minute, in my opinion, bordered on the farcical. Of course, nobody could prove beyond doubt. Then Bernard Tapie was nabbed by French officials and their house of cards crashed. For us, the damage was done, though. It is we who should have been up against Milan. We wuz robbed, M’Lawd.
 
For me, I shall always remember Bruges v Marseille in 92/93. Marseille’s goal in the 2nd minute, in my opinion, bordered on the farcical. Of course, nobody could prove beyond doubt. Then Bernard Tapie was nabbed by French officials and their house of cards crashed. For us, the damage was done, though. It is we who should have been up against Milan. We wuz robbed, M’Lawd.
Sure it was Boksic who scored that goal. The defending in the Milan game the other night reminded me of that goal.
 
While I’ve no doubt it does, I’ve got no idea how/why with the sums of money involved.

Surely high street bookies must smell a rat when there is £250k going on a red card at Albion Rovers vs Elgin. Alternatively, try that on the underworld betting markets and surely you get your legs broken on a bullet in your head?
You'll struggle get 2.5k on a red card in a match like that and that is if anyone actually offers it.

Which underworld betting markets are you talking about?
 
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