FOOTBALL PROBLEMS
MATCH FIXING
HOW TO FIX A
by Kasper Lindberg
FOOTBALL MATCH
bond with the victim, isolating him or her from Malaysian example:
the rest of the team and posing the right type of How to fix a match
threat in order to force the victim to work for " Connect with the player. Establish a
the match-fixer. relationship.
Journalist Declan Hill knows how to fi x a football match but
does not recommend it as a career choice.
In an example of successful match fi xing, " Approach a player when he is vulnerable.
Hill revealed how Malaysian match fixers had " Isolate the player psychologically from
succeeded in fi xing up to 90 per cent of the the rest of the team.
matches in the national football league for several " Establish a bond. Build trust.
Good fixers are
years in the early 1990 s. " Pay the player quickly.
experts on human
The Malaysian scandal came to an end but " Approach only one player. Then let that
Declan Hill was impressed by the expertise of the player get the rest of the team in on
nature
network of fixers. the idea.
Most people can only wonder how you go about  There are half a dozen master fixers, and
fi xing a football match. Someone who knows is these guys are brilliant. If you want experts on Turkish example:
Canadian journalist and academic Declan Hill. He human nature, these guys are really good, he How NOT to fix a match
has spent years researching the subject and at Play said. " Bet a huge amount of money on one
the Game he let participants in on some of the Hill s example of poor match fixing came from very improbable result, thereby
secrets. Turkey. The fi xer was taped during an approach drawing attention to the foul play.
To fi x a match without getting caught takes of one of the key players because at the time " Approach a number of players individually
expert knowledge of human nature in order people had already gotten word that fi xing was to try and get the result.
to convince players or referees to help get the about to take place. The whole story ended in a " Show them money, but do not give them
right result. The method of approaching those tragedy as the person who attempted to set up any before they have fixed the match.
individuals is the very key to successful match the fi xers with the tape recorder was shot down, " Shoot the guy who tries to uncover
fixing, according to Declan Hill. Getting an and the people responsible for the crime remain the fix.
effective result involves establishing a personal unknown.
Betting is threatened too
Match fixing is an is a fi ght for survival for sport as well as betting The Wimbledon tennis tournament, for
companies. If customers pick up on widespread example, has agreed a deal with the Betting
old practice that has
fi xing, their gambling will decline. As Bartlett Exchange Betfair to receive advance warning of
become easier pointed out, horse racing s market share has any suspicious betting patterns.
declined because it is much easier to fi x a race Bartlett emphasized the need for strong law
by Kasper Lindberg than it is to fix a football match. to back up the exchange of information as well as
He admitted, however, that today s betting increased penalties that outweigh the profi ts of
Match fixing has been around as long as sport itself exchanges make the act of profi ting by betting match fi xing. In the UK, a gambling commission is
but with the nature of modern sports gambling, on a loser much easier, and he pointed to actions being set up  a commission that has wide powers
the fi xing of matches has become easier and is which are being taken to combat abuse of the of search, is able to introduce harsh penalties, and
rapidly becoming a serious threat to sport. system. can demand audit trails.
So says an expert on the topic, Warwick  They re working with rather than against the
Bartlett, Director of Global Gaming and Betting Warning systems sports and the gambling companies. And we are
Consultants. At Play the Game, he put match Usually, the fi rst sign of a match being fi xed is hoping that great things might come of this. We
fixing into a historical perspective and pointed out when large sums of money are being placed are hoping that it might provide a template for the
that it is only now that sport s governing bodies on that particular match, so to Bartlett the rest of the world to follow, Bartlett said.
are fully waking up to the presence of irregular most important thing is to have an exchange of Another idea currently being discussed is
betting patterns. information between bookmakers and the sport a so-called  white list in which only certain
For the sport gambling industry match fi xing in order to detect these gambling patterns and to approved gambling websites are awarded a licence
is also a serious problem and the fi ght against it inform the sport federations. to operate.
playthegame | magazine 2006 4
MATCH FIXING
MATCH FIXERS PLAY ON A LOSER
Match fixing is emerging everywhere football is played
by Jesper Kock
Football is all about winning. It does not matter
whether the championship is within reach or the
team is about to be knocked out of the Cup, the
offi cial agenda always dictate that you play to win.
However, over the past year a hidden agenda has
begun to emerge. This agenda is not about winning
but to achieve a fi xed result for the game. Match
fixing has become an unfair opponent in the world
of football and there is a real risk that sport will be
paying a huge price.
In 2005, German referee Robert Hoyzer was
as convicted of match fi xing. At the time, FIFA In 2005, German football referee Robert Hoyzer was sentenced to 29 months in jail for taking bribes
to fi x the outcome of a number of matches in the German football league. Photo credit: Polfoto
president Sepp Blatter characterized the case as
a  one-off . But a review of articles about match
fi xing published in international media in the the game against Haka. Meanwhile the club s goal too. Penalties and own goals are part of the game
period from 1 January 2005 to 1 April 2006 paints keeper was sent off to attend a  training camp after all.
a radically different picture. The media can report in Belgium. Though match fi xing so far has emerged
more than 25 cases of match fi xing allegations, Perhaps this is not a typical example of match mainly in lower divisions and less prominent
police investigations and convictions from more fi xing, yet one tendency prevails. More often than leagues, the problem is steadily approaching the
than 20 countries and four different continents. not, match fixing occurs in less prominent leagues very top of the hierarchy. German referee Hoyzer
What the examples have in common is or lower divisions where the salaries of players was convicted of fi xing a cup match in a German
the fact that match fi xing is not employed in an are low and therefore may work as an incitement tournament and in Vietnam match fi xing has
attempt to make a short cut to the championship to engage in match fi xing. infi ltrated matches at national level in this recent
or promotion. Instead match fi xing aims for the Odds of 8787-1 are striking; but so is a year s Southeast Asian Games.
immense sums of betting money placed with match result of 8-0. To avoid attracting too much
Internet bookmakers. English bookmakers alone attention, match fi xing can be done in other ways.
handle more than four billion pounds a year and One method is to bet on a specifi c result and yet
Match-fixing reported by
40 per cent involve football. As in any other kind another method is to bet on combined half time
international media 2005-2006
of business, the rule of getting maximum outcome or full time results. Having an impact on several
for minimum input applies. In other words, higher matches simultaneously is also highly desirable
Allegations:
odds are better odds. because it gives you the opportunity to combine
China, Greece, Bangladesh, France, Serbia-
results.
Montenegro, Ghana, Mexico and Northern Ireland
Odds 1-8787
High odds became a reality in the summer of Getting the right players
Police investigations:
2005, when the Finnish club FC Allianssi lost 8- In most match fi xing cases which have surfaced
Portugal, Finland, Vietnam, Belgium, Kenya, Austria,
0 to FC Haka Valkeakoski. Sums invested in this in public, outcomes have been as predicted. The
Germany, Italy and Singapore
game were unprecedented with money coming reason is that it can be easier to persuade players
primarily from Southeast Asia. The  lucky winners to guarantee defeat when the team is already
Convictions:
were able to collect their money times 8787. To trapped in a downward spiral. Despite high-profile
Brazil, Turkey, Italy, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic
complete the picture, Alliansi had been purchased referee scandals in places like Germany, Brazil,
and Slovakia
by a wealthy Chinese businessmen just one month Czech Republic and Poland, buying a referee
prior to the game. A new coach had been instated is not simple. Therefore, the goal keeper and
More match fi xing details at www.playthegame.org
and nine new players had their first appearance in defenders are important players to get on board
5 playthegame | magazine 2006