Match-Fixing Probe Won’t Give England Back-Door Route Into Euros
By: Laurie | December 3rd, 2007Admit it. If you’re an England fan, you read the words “Match-fixing probe” and “Euro qualifiers” this weekend and nearly passed out, didn’t you? Especially when you heard that Der Spiegel said that the teams under investigation were Eastern European?
Sad news, folks. UEFA says that none of the fifteen matches under investigation were Euro 2008 qualifiers.
“They all involve preliminary rounds of club competitions,” Uefa spokesman William Gaillard told BBC Radio 5 Live.
And Gaillard described claims that England might get a back way into the Euro 2008 finals as “pure fantasy”.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. You may now go back to drowning your misery.
No more real information on the match-fixing allegations at this point, aside from the fact that UEFA gave Interpol a 96-page report containing details. The above link to a BBC article does have some interesting thoughts, particularly from a former FA compliance officer who says that these charges will be very hard to prove.
“But history suggests that following the money is very difficult and, despite the scandal that rocked Italian football last year, cases where corruption has been discovered and proved are relatively rare.”
That’s not getting my confidence up, BBC. What I really want to hear is, “How DARE they corrupt our honest sport. These guys will be doing the perp walk real soon.”
I fervently believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and Interpol’s ability to make this happen.
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