The scandal of manipulating matches is a terrible stain on football's history, and every other month, one such incident appears on social media. Often, much more happens than is eventually reported. Sometimes, the truth will surface and those involved will be punished.
However, as new match-fixing scandals continue to surface, these penalties rarely act as a deterrent for clubs and players. This week, a coach in Nigeria's lower league was suspended for two years after a recording of a conversation about changing the outcome of the game came to light. Earlier this month, Kenya suspended five top-league referees suspected of rigging a match scandal.
Prior to that, FIFA discovered in May that Krijo Zoo was manipulating the match, expelling the club from the Kenya Premier League. Last month, in a widely circulated video, League of Nations defender Hashmin Moussa deliberately scored two goals in the final 12 minutes of a match against Ashanti's gold medal, doing so to prevent a pre-planned bet on the final score of the match.
Obviously, the scandal of manipulating the game is not new. In fact, if left unchecked, football loses its charm. Former UEFA president Platini once said: "If tomorrow we go to see a game that already knows the outcome, football will die."
The new season is in full swing across Europe, and many countries have deployed dedicated teams to uncover match-fixing incidents and hope to nip them in the bud. With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the most shocking match-fixing scandals in football history.
10. Gijón scandal (West Germany vs. Austria, 1982)
The match-fixing incident that occurred during the group stage of the 1982 World Cup shocked world football and was clearly seen by anyone who watched the match, but neither West Germany nor Austria was convicted of any wrongdoing, and FIFA officials said that no rules had been violated!
If West Germany wins 1:0, the two teams will advance from the group stage hand in hand, thus eliminating Algeria. After the German scored the desired goal in 10 minutes, the two teams passed the ball to each other throughout the game! The resulting global condemnation prompted FIFA to add a new rule to the final matches of the World Cup group stage that stipulates that all matches must be played at the same time.
9. Highlands United 79:0 Akuba FC
Plateau United0：67Police Machine
It was the most ridiculous score you've ever seen on the football pitch, and it's hard to decide which is more shocking, they scored 79 goals and their opponents didn't score a single one!
They scored one goal every 68 seconds and 79 goals in 90 minutes, which is an impossible feat. It is said that 72 of these goals were scored in the second half, which makes all the more incredible!
Two teams in Nigeria's lower leagues, Plateau United and Police Machine, are chasing promotion opportunities but are affected by the wide goal gap. So, the team came up with one of the craziest solutions ever. The Nigerian Football Association has issued a lifetime ban on all four teams and tournament officials involved in manipulating the tournament.
8. Telephone Door (2006)
Italy has also had scandals of manipulating the game, the most famous of which was the phonegate incident in 2006. Intercepted calls show that some teams have contacted refereeing organizations in order to select favorable referees. The teams involved include Juventus, Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Regina.
Penalties afterwards included long-term bans from club owners, referees and senior club officials. Some, such as former Fiorentina co-owner Andrea Valle and former Juventus director Luciano Moggi, have been jailed in addition to their ban.
The club was also punished, with Juventus relegated to Second Division and stripped of two Serie A titles. Players such as Cannavaro and Ibrahimovic decided to leave after Juventus were relegated. Nearly 35 international stars left Serie A after the scandal for other leagues in Europe.
7. Totonello Scandal (1980)
It was another Match-Fixing scandal in Italy, where players like World Cup winner Paul Rossi were handcuffed out of the dressing room. Rossi later rejoined the Italian national team and led the Blues to win the World Cup in 1982.
The massive scandal, dubbed "Totonello" by the Italian media, was discovered by a newspaper involving a match-fixing gang involving Lazio's players. Milan and Lazio were relegated from Serie A and more than 20 players, club owners and club officials were jailed. Unfortunately, this won't be the last time Italy will appear on this list.
6. Cremonese vs. Paganese (Serie C)
In another bizarre incident in Italy, former Cremonese goalkeeper Marco Paulini was found adding sedatives to his teammates' drinks and water bottles!
Paulini was in debt to gamblers, and he was even willing to manipulate the gamble to pay them off. Cremonese players are slow and listless during the game, and some have struggled to walk. One player crashed their car on the way home. After the final test showed they were drugged, the investigation began, eventually pointing to Paulini as the culprit and the former goalkeeper eventually suspended for 5 years.
5. Marseille (1993)
Marseille won the Champions League in 1993 and also won the Ligue 1 title for the fourth consecutive time. With Marseille convicted of manipulating the game, it suddenly became pointless to rule French football and consolidate its position in Europe.
Bernard Tarpi, the former boss of Marseille and Adidas, had offered Valencien money to lose the match against Marseille. Tapie's aim is clearly to ensure his team is in better shape in the Champions League final.
Eventually Marseille was relegated and stripped of his title as Ligue 1 champion, and Tapi himself was banned from playing football for life.
4. Standard Liège (1982)
Decades ago, Standard Liege was embroiled in a scandal that manipulated the game and shocked Belgium. Club manager Gottars had instructed players to offer match bonuses as a means of bribing opponents, which would allow Standard Liege to secure victory and win the championship trophy, which would also allow their players to remain healthy and uninjured against Barcelona.
After the match-fixing scandal came to light, Gottars was banned for life from coaching in Belgium. 13 Standard Liege players were also found to have problems and were banned from playing belgian football. Notably, Gottars went on to coach Marseille and brought the Champions League to Marseille in 1993. That same year, Tapie was embroiled in a match-fixing scandal in Ligue 1.
3. Cui Chengguo (2011)
In 2011, there was a major earthquake in South Korean football, and a huge match-fixing controversy led to dozens of active and former K-League players being prosecuted and convicted. Most notably, South Korean striker Choi Sung-kook was banned from playing in the country for life.
FIFA then decided to extend his ban globally, essentially ending his football career. Choi Sung-kook was convicted of manipulating two matches while playing for Gwangju Sangmu. The scandal affected dozens of footballers, and Choi was sentenced to 10 months in prison with a suspension of execution.
2. Kurt (1997)
In 1997, Switzerland's top World Cup referee Kurt Roslisberg argued that his actions would not lead to a lifetime ban. Ahead of a Champions Cup match between grasshoppers and Auxerre, Rossliberg suggested to grasshopper officials that $70,000 would be enough to persuade the game's referee, Vadim Juke, to make a penalty in their favor.
Although the Grasshoppers won the game, there was no evidence that the referees took bribes to ensure they won. According to Rossleyberg, he only mentioned it in small talk with then-Grasshoppers manager Erich Vogel, but the referee was later suspended for life after deciding to retire in 1996.
1. Bruce Grobella (1994)
Major match-fixing scandals are rarely seen in English football, which is why he was so highly regarded when the Sun accused former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobella of conceding a goal in a game against Newcastle.
The former star was accused of manipulating the game and was taken to court. To this day, he maintains his innocence and denies any wrongdoing. They went through two trials, but the jury failed to reach a conclusive verdict. It is believed that although he accepted bribes, he did not let the goal to manipulate the outcome of the game.