Match-fixing: AFC adds goalkeeper to long list of Laos players banned for life
August 3 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has issued another life time ban on a Laos national team player for match fixing.
Match-fixing
Football’s Deep State: Are match-fixers infiltrating the governing bodies and their suppliers?
By Paul Nicholson
July 17 – In 2018 when Insideworldfootball and Rex Sport hosted their Tackling Match-fixing conference in London a number of panellists made the point that betting related match manipulation was the playground of major organised crime gangs.
Match-fixing: Armenia suspends whole second tier, bans 45, disqualifies five clubs
July 8 – Football authorities in Armenia have suspended their entire second tier and handed out 45 lifetime bans after one of the biggest match-fixing episodes of recent years in Europe.
Brazilian ‘ghost’ game offered on 200 betting markets worldwide
May 20 – The integrity of a match reportedly played between two Brazilian clubs on March 25, and which was offered on the betting markets attracting a reported £1.4 million in wagers, is being investigated.
Former club officials and players at Osasuna and Real Betis jailed for matchfixing
April 24 – In a landmark ruling, nine former executives, players, and businessmen including five former directors of Osasuna and two ex-Real Betis players have been handed prison sentences after being found guilty of being involved in match-fixing – the first time ever that sporting corruption has led to jail terms in Spain.
Former Man City star Etuhu loses appeal against ban for attempted match-fixing
April 17 – Former Nigerian international Dickson Etuhu (pictured), who played for a raft English teams including Manchester City, has been banned from football in Sweden, where he last competed, for five years for attempted match-fixing.
UEFA issues match fixing warning as fixers adapt to Covid-19 restrictions
April 6 – UEFA has issued an intelligence alert to its federations warning that match-fixers are quickly adapting to Covid-19 restrictions, despite the bulk of leagues and games across Europe having been shut down.
Ukraine ‘ghost’ games fool bookies and punters as criminals pull off perfect crime
By Paul Nicholson
March 31 – The coronavirus lockdown has not stopped football-related betting fraud with the re-emergence last weekend of so-called ‘ghost’ games in Ukraine.
AFC give life bans to two Laos players for match-fixing
February 26 – Two Laos internationals have been handed life bans for alleged match-fixing by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Match-fixing: FIFA probe Myanmar World Cup qualifiers
February 18 – FIFA is investigating suspected match-fixing in Myanmar’s 7-0 defeat in a World Cup qualifier last year.
Match-fixing: Four Kenyan club players banned for multiple game fixing in KPL
February 5 – FIFA has banned four Kenyan-based players for their involvement in match-fixing in the latest case of rigging to rock African football.
AFC renews commitment to war on match-fixing with extended Sportradar partnership
January 30 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has extended its integrity partnership with Sportradar aimed at tackling match manipulation and betting fraud in the Asian game. The agreement will run through to 2023 and the next Asian Cup in China.
Spanish court hears Osasuna director Vizcay detail culture of match-fixing in LaLiga
January 22 – Top-flight Spanish club Osasuna rigged matches over two seasons in an attempt to avoid relegation, a court heard on Tuesday in the latest match-fixing revelations to strike at the heart of European football.
Match fixing threat and bomb attack forces Cyprus to postpone matches
January 20 – Football in Cyprus has once again been plunged into a suspected match-fixing scandal after a raft of matches were postponed at the weekend following notifications sent by UEFA with regard to suspicious betting activity and a bomb attack against a local official.
Life ban for penalty pointing Moroccan referee
December 30 – A Moroccan referee has been banned for life for awarding four highly questionable penalties, three of them for the same team, in a domestic league match.