Is football fixed?

[TownHead]

THE STORY OF SYSTEMIC CORRUPTION IN PREMIER LEAGUE JUST GETS BIGGER AND BIGGER

What does George Osborne know about systemic match fixing in the Premier League?

Why was Ian Livingston (then CEO of BT) elevated to the House of Lords at launch of BT Sport when just 48 years old?

What hidden strategies were undertaken by Baron Livingston of Parkhead when Minister of State for Trade and Investment?

Why did George Osborne above make a donation of £3 million to train Chinese football coaches?

 

 

What does David "the Right Thing" Cameron know about all this?

Why was Sun Jihai installed in the National Football Museum Hall of Fame?

What role have board members of the major Scottish football club played in the systemic corruption of Premier League matches?

 

Why was Baron Livingston made Minister of State for Trade and Investment when he still possessed £20 million of shares in BT?

What steps did David "the Right Thing" Cameron take to avoid conflicts of interest when the Baron oversaw the sector in which he owned such a quantity of shares?

The share price of BT rose 26% in the 17 months while the Baron was Minister of State having risen by only 11% in the previous six-and-a-half years. How?

Why has Baron Livingston of Parkhead's Wikipedia page been intriguingly adjusted this morning (following publication of this post)?

Why does Baron Livingston hate the poor?

[Mr Nando]

Of course there is corruption within the Premier League. To believe that it could only happen in other leagues (Italy, Ukraine etc..) and other sports (tennis, athletics etc..) and not the Premier League, would be the height of stupidity.

 

To what extent though? Who know's.

 

It is a symptom of capitalism. Where ever large amounts of money are involved, greed and corruption will follow. As sure as day follows night. 

[ZonkoVille77]

It's reading shit like this that makes me the hate the professional side of football more and more.

I think I'll go back to getting involved in the amateur side of it. It's ruined by suits now.

[Paulie Dangerously]

 

Why was Sun Jihai installed in the National Football Museum Hall of Fame?

 

That's the most baffling question of all. 

[scudger99]

Is football fixed ?

In our case, it's well and truly fucking broken.

[Trumo]

Is Baron Livingston the new Jonathan Shallitt?

[What_What]

Corruption - of course.

 

Doping - most definitely.

 

It'll be interesting to see if Guardiola has the Man City players bombing around in the 80th minute like they have just started the game.

[Bjornebye]

Not sure about doping.

 

I hate how corrupt our game is. Fucking cameron and that briefcase cunt anywhere near footy makes me feel like checking the womens volleyball out. Wankers. Im off for a wank.

[Trumo]

That's the most baffling question of all. 

 

At the time of that announcement, I think the Chinese PM was visiting the UK, and the government were intent on talking to him about investing in the UK. The Hall Of Fame thing was done as a sweetener, as ridiculous as it sounds.

[jimmycase]

I dont think there's corruption but there's clearly some favouritism going on and has been for years.

 

Remember when cantona was banned to the Saturday we were due to play manchester united so they moved the game to the sunday so he could play? I still believe the FA havent fixed that loophole that says if a player is suspended to the Saturday and tv moves the game to Sunday or Monday for example, that the player remains banned as he would have under the original scheduling of the game.

 

Certain (most?) referees favoured manchester united with decisions. How come they suddenly started getting 6, 7, 8 or more added minutes in games when nearly every other game involving clubs had just 3 or 4 minutes absolute tops?

 

In the mid 60's, a couple or 3 sheffwed players were banned for life for match fixing. Then there's brucie's alleged throwing games.

[What_What]

Not sure about doping.

 

I hate how corrupt our game is. Fucking cameron and that briefcase cunt anywhere near footy makes me feel like checking the womens volleyball out. Wankers. Im off for a wank.

 

Football has a long history of doping but hardly anyone gives a toss, I'd bet my life it is happening in the Premier League, just like it is (and always has been) with all top level sport, even one of our most likable players has been done for doping.

 

I bet Guardiola will soon have Man City as the 'fittest' team in the league, we'll see.

[matt1983]

I dont think there's corruption but there's clearly some favouritism going on and has been for years.

 

Remember when cantona was banned to the Saturday we were due to play manchester united so they moved the game to the sunday so he could play? I still believe the FA havent fixed that loophole that says if a player is suspended to the Saturday and tv moves the game to Sunday or Monday for example, that the player remains banned as he would have under the original scheduling of the game.

 

Certain (most?) referees favoured manchester united with decisions. How come they suddenly started getting 6, 7, 8 or more added minutes in games when nearly every other game involving clubs had just 3 or 4 minutes absolute tops?

 

In the mid 60's, a couple or 3 sheffwed players were banned for life for match fixing. Then there's brucie's alleged throwing games.

And Ferdinand.

[TownHead]

Of the 10 Premier League matches this midweek, 8 were matchfixing events.
Eight!!!!!

Now you might think that Sportradar (who gather 'intelligence' on suspect betting markets), the FA Sport Betting Integrity Forum, Federbet, Early Warning Systems GmbH (who claim to spot evidence of matchfixing), Europol/Interpol and members of the UK mainstream media (some of whom have first hand knowledge of these rigged events) would be disclosing this mass corruption to the fans.

Dream on.

And to understand why...
... read on.
____________________________________________________________________________

Firstly, let's take a glance at the bodies allegedly addressing matchfixing and money laundering in world sport.

1. Federbet - set up by bookmakers for bookmakers. Their biggest scoop this season was the detection that Sporting Clube de Portugal versus Skenderbeu in the Europa League (and three other of the Albanian team's games) were fixed. As virtually every Skenderbeu match is corrupted, this hardly adds to the public's knowledge of the vice of matchfixing. This selective disclosure suggests that matchfixing higher up the food chain is only disclosed to Federbet's partners or that Federbet are entirely incompetent - either logic undermines their raison d'être.

2. The FA's Sport Betting Integrity Forum - the futility of this talking shop is proved by some of the membership. The British Horse Racing Authority (conspicuous money impacts on outcome in UK racing); the England and Wales Cricket Board (matchfixing in English cricket dominated by Dubai/Mumbai mafia); the FA (not fit for purpose as shown in numerous previous posts); the Tennis Integrity Unit (see Djokovic revelations below); 5 bookmakers (most of whom allow insider trading); Association British Bookmakers; Association of Chief Police Officers, Police Scotland and National Crime Agency (none of whom have disclosed any of the huge body of fixed football matches in the Barclay's Premier League, the Skybet Championship or the Ladbrokes Scottish Premier League).
FASBIF makes the FCA look robust!

3. Europol/Interpol - Ronald Noble, former Secretary-General of Interpol, is exposed in Andrew Jennings' book 'The Dirty Game' as, at the very least, a facilitator of the burying of bad matchfixing news relating to FIFA. Additionally, Europol direct any enquiries regarding matchfixing back to the local police authorities, like any Albanian citizen is going to go to Tirana police to report Skenderbeu games!

4. Early Warning Systems - established by that body of colossal integrity FIFA to expose matchfixing, yet somehow have failed to spot the three World Cup matchfixing events disclosed by Jennings and the dozens of events (including 5 at World Cup Finals in Brazil 2014) disclosed byFootball is Fixed.

5. Sportradar - claim to reach deep into the underground markets but merely skim the surface of the Dark Pools that dominate matchfixing globally. When Sportradar detect a suspect event, do they go to the media? No fucking chance. In effect, they sell their analyses (sic) back to the sports betting industry so that markets might be made more efficient and mugs might be mugged - the suspect markets aren't suspended but traded aggressively with patsies being unaware that their leisure punt is a certain loser. No improvement in integrity. No support for the punter.
One of Sportradar's marketing slogans is "realise opportunities - everywhere" which says it all really.
 

 

Let's take tennis as an example.

On the eve of the ITF Australian Tennis Open in Melbourne last month Novak Djokovic disclosed that he had been offered considerable money to throw a tennis game earlier in his career.
The ITF and other tennis boards quickly moved to state that there had been no suppression of evidence of historical matchfixing in tennis http://www.itftennis.com/media/221271/221271.pdf.

But Australia's anti-doping chief Richard Ings has claimed that when he worked at the ATP tennis organisation, the body buried a report disclosing extensive matchfixing in the sport over a decade ago.

Four Corners, an Australian investigative journalist group, disclosed on ABC website yesterday that more than 40 tennis matches were flagged as matchfixing events in just three months last year http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-01/40-professional-tennis-matches-flagged-for-match-fixing/7127240
Furthermore, 350 tennis professionals are on a blacklist of matchfixers.

One of Sportradar's partners is the ITF.

So when Sportradar detect corruption, one of the following scenarios is played out:

a) Sportradar inform governing body who then take no action or,

b) Sportradar inform bookmakers who trade the information and adjust their internal markets but make no public disclosure or,

c) Sportradar inform both governing bodies and bookmakers and all enjoy privileged inside information at the public's expense with no release of the corruption to the press.

Whichever of these constructs is the reality, Sportradar are exposed as charlatans who are a problematical input to integrity in world sport.

As they scream on their website - ITF and Sportradar: A Unique Partnership.

Additionally, virtually all tennis coaches in the UK have contracts with British territory bookmakers that enables private information regarding player form, injury, psychological state, fitness to be shared for mutual gain.

Yet players themselves and family members/friends have to sign non-disclosure contracts to prevent them from utilising private information in the betting markets!

Top-down insider trading is allowed...
... bottom up trading is banned.

[xerxes]

Of course there is corruption within the Premier League.

I am unconvinced that match results are fixed in the PL.

 

The money needed to guarantee a result amongst players, if they would co-operate, is extraordinarily high. Referees are a softer target, but they alone cannot guarantee a result.

 

"Event" fixing, the number of corners, throw-ins etc is more vulnerable, but attracts fewer bets so high stakes are more easily spotted, but that is where I suspect it happens.

 

The legitimate fleecing of the game by agents, overpaid ceos, and owners is a far greater problem.

[xerxes]

Of the 10 Premier League matches this midweek, 8 were matchfixing events.

Eight!!!!!

Tennis, a game between just two players, is far more vulnerable than football.

 

Eight games?

 

With average PL salaries over £2.5m,CL qualification worth £38m, each PL place worth almost £1m and survival worth £100m what bribes are being offered?

[Russ Atmosphere]

What do match officials earn?

[Jairzinho]

The Fail reckons a "top" Premier League ref has a salary of about £65k but could earn up to £100k if he does loads of games. Football League refs aren't on salaries, but would earn about £18k if they reffed 46 games a season.

 

Probably wouldn't be too difficult to convince the odd Championship ref to influence a game.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2909239/Top-Premier-League-referees-earn-FIVE-TIMES-Football-League-officials.html

[Dr. J]

Doping, for sure. Look at Rooney playing every minute of every game for United, or Ronaldo, getting bigger, faster and better every year. Vardy? Spare me. Even the two centre forwards for Watford - have either missed a minute.

 

The disparity in team injuries alone, recalling that recent table, is anomalous enough to raise eyebrows.

[Russ Atmosphere]

Probably wouldn't be too difficult to convince the odd Championship ref to influence a game.

Line officials can't be on much either but I hardly bet so I don't know if they affect enough. Sian Massey has gone fairly quiet eh.

[TownHead]

Last seasons Premier League winners, Chelsea, pocketed around £99 million in total TV/prize money revenue from winning the title.... global betting markets on single live Premier League games can dwarf that amount almost 10 fold..... so easily manipulated.

 

Most of not all football clubs are owned, part-owned or at the very least sponsored by/affiliated with bookmakers..... conflict of interest much?

[dennis tooth]

I find it odd when you get fixtures made where the top four all play each other on one weekend and its happend again this season even with liecester emerging from nowhere its as if sky write their own script.

[xerxes]

Last seasons Premier League winners, Chelsea, pocketed around £99 million in total TV/prize money revenue from winning the title.... global betting markets on single live Premier League games can dwarf that amount almost 10 fold..... so easily manipulated.

 

Most of not all football clubs are owned, part-owned or at the very least sponsored by/affiliated with bookmakers..... conflict of interest much?

There is little doubt that the relationship between the betting industry

through sponsorship, and the likes of Skybet with football is becoming worryingly close.

 

Can PL games be so easily manipulated? The PL is greedy, but not stupid.

 

The integrity of the competition is all. As soon as more than a handful ofpeople think what you do and the whole, legitimate edifice comes crashing down.

 

I notice that you have been careful to describe "matchfixing events" ( which includes numbers of corners, yellow cards etc) rather than result fixing.

 

I do accept that "event fixing" may be more prevalent than we realise. I struggle to see how result fixing is taking place. Who is taking the cash and why? Salaries have moved on from the days of Brucie and the Fat Man.

 

And surely the betting coups are to be found lower down the leagues, less outlay, same return.

[Trumo]

I find it odd when you get fixtures made where the top four all play each other on one weekend and its happend again this season even with liecester emerging from nowhere its as if sky write their own script.

 

Or 'Super Sunday' as it's called.

[Bjornebye]

Le Tissier admitted that throw in betting syndicate he had. Im sure we didn't he same in the late 90's. I remember going mad that we used to lump the ball out to the right straight from kick off and it nearly always went out for a throw. Redknapp you corrupt cunt.

[Dr Nowt]

You don't get brought up by 'arry, and have Mark for a brother, without learning a few tricks.