Match-Fixing Alive & Well

Despite the European seasons winding down and races beginning to dwindle, the betting industry has seen some marked spikes in betting. So marked a few big bookmakers were forced to suspend betting this weekend in lesser UK leagues after suspicious patterns arose.

The Blue Conference Premier League match between Grays and Forest Green Rovers – a team which made different headlines during the FA Cup 3rd Round – had betting called after an inordinate amount of wagers asking for Grays to go into the half losing but end the game victorious – a situation which offers incredibly good odds (22-1 in this case). Were the worries of Blue Square & William Hill substantiated?

Halftime: Forest Green 1-0
Fulltime: Grays 2-1

I’d say so. It may just be an incredible coincidence but such volume on a specific bet which comes to fruition is awfully suspicious. To the point neither of the bookies will be paying out any winnings on the match.

Across the Irish Sea in Northern Ireland a similar situation occurred when Paddy Power, Ireland’s biggest bookie, began receiving a plethora of wagers on mid-table fixtures which had no bearing on the final table outcome in the Irish League – far more than the norm, which caused worry. (Of course receiving a number of wagers on Northern Irish football is enough of a harbinger in itself you’d think.) And so Paddy Power has ended all betting on league fixtures except for those games involving the two teams still clamoring for the title, Linfield and Glentoran.

And this would make sense. If nobody’s paying attention, nothing is on the line and pride/professionalism aren’t an issue, why not role over to pad what we can only assume is a paltry paycheck? After all, we’ve seen plenty of bigger clubs roll over for smaller clubs in the final weeks of the season across many big leagues. Someone may want to benefit from that financially.

These leagues are, in the grand scheme, extraordinarily insignificant. But we’ve been seeing a decent amount of this lately – the Macedonian club’s eight year expulsion by UEFA, the five Accrington Stanley players who’ve opened up Pandora’s box, the staggering number of arrests (no2 200+) in Poland for football corruption – which is more than a bit worrying, considering those happened well in the past before hitting our ears. This has Michel Platini dripping barrels of sweat as he proclaimed it the sport’s biggest threat; a proclamation which continues to bring confirmation and worry by the week.

Some – like the Platini link above – seem to think match-fixing and the global economy are currently duking it out for top concern amongst the acronyms (doping still a long shout down). But to me they seem almost one in the same, and as economical unrest continues, so will the instances and accusations of match-fixing. It’s no secret some massive European clubs have found difficulties in paying their players, and the same surely goes for those in lower leagues where a paycheck doesn’t buy luxuries, but puts food on the table. And while players may respect the sport, many are providers first and athletes second. A game it is, but a job as well. So if a paycheck goes missing or shows up a little short, what easier way to make it up than miss a tackle here, misplace a pass there or sky that sitter over the bar?

And absolutely nothing will affect those paychecks and those who sign them more than relegation. Even when the economy was coasting along nicely, the difference between league tiers can be enough for a club to sink or swim. With the relegation fights hitting their climax and the economy failing to do likewise, it’s not unthinkable to say we may be entering a new era of match-fixing.

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Category: England, World Football