FAI open investigation into Athlone

[ATFC-1887]

http://www.fai.ie/domestic/news/fai-statement-on-athlone-town-afc

[Longfordian]

"Nothing to do with us Fran, we don't know what the Chinese lads (a great bunch of lads they are too) would be up to".

"The FAI has not found any evidence of improper behaviour by any players, officials or coaches of Athlone Town AFC".

To be fair it looks like they were waiting for evidence which they now have so someone is going down for it.

[ATFC-1887]

Strange feeling this. We've been working on stuff and releasing information bit by bit for a few months. Glad it's finally paying off.

[gufcfan]

Glad it's finally paying off.

Glad your accum came in. Congrats.

[Longfordian]

Athlone are "absolutely shocked" and will "take action against any wrongdoers". Sure.

[thomas72]

Balls if I'd known would of been handy money uggg

[ATFC-1887]

We got a nice tip off with 5 minutes to go Saturday.. .Allegedly ;)

[total hoofball]

Absolutely shocking, nobody saw this coming, not in our league

...etc. etc. from John Delaney, Fran Gavin, the FAI Licensing Committee, Athlone Town FC and their Portuguese/Chinese investors who have put their hard earned money into their childhood club

[L.T.F.C.]

Lads, you would have seen it if you were at the game... Horrific stuff.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Our very own Sean Spicer

https://www.thesun.ie/sport/football/713602/fran-gavin-reckons-that-athlones-new-backers-could-trigger-an-influx-of-foreign-investment-in-league-of-ireland/

[Briuk]

Indeed the league is ideal for what this guys are doing, as there is no relegation, so you can buy a club and play with it year after year... I guess that they ahve been too greedy

[Ezeikial]

http://www.fai.ie/domestic/news/fai-statement-on-athlone-town-afc

That statement includes this gem


On March 29, Mr Gavin delivered an Integrity Workshop presentation to the Athlone Town AFC senior squad and coaches on the prevention of match-fixing and betting, in his role as FAI Integrity Officer


Fran Gavin being named as Integrity Officer is worthy of a Waterford Whispers satire piece.

Is that what you call a Oxymoron?

[sbgawa]

Have to admit I slogged off the conspiracy theorists because I didn't believe anyone would be stupid enough to think they could get serious money on a LOI first division match without getting caught......seems I was wrong on both counts.....bizarre

[nigel-harps1954]

Can we credit the FAI for creating the atmosphere?

[pineapple stu]

I think this maybe indicates a big and growing problem with the LoI that the FAI have failed to address.

We're running out of clubs, and nobody wants to join.

So when Athlone are screwed financially, rather than let them die and re-form as AFC Athlone, or get relegated to a lower-cost league and sort themselves out, the FAI really had no choice but to bail them out. They can't afford to lose more clubs.

But with extra costs from the underage leagues, and the FAI still taking money out of the league rather than putting it in, this problem can only arise again. What happens now if, say, Cabo go to the FAI and say they're dropping out? Does Fran fish around for the first investor he can find and hand them the club?

The betting issue is one item, and a worrying one at that (why did Athlone miss that penalty to equalise in Waterford a couple of weeks ago?), but I think what this episode says about the whole health of the league is a bigger one. And if the FAI's only response is Conroy, then we're ****ed tbh.

[NeverFeltBetter]

If wrongdoing is confirmed, what will the result be? A criminal case against the individuals of course, but what form would club sanctions take that wouldn't be counter-productive to maintaining their LOI status?

[Mr A]

If wrongdoing is confirmed, what will the result be? A criminal case against the individuals of course, but what form would club sanctions take that wouldn't be counter-productive to maintaining their LOI status?

The bigger question is whether Paddy Power will take bets on any of this.

[Larry 'da' Wyse]

Hate seeing this happen in Athlone. Whatever happens I guess we will have our first * in the league table. Wonder how yer man who dontated some much finance to the club and its relocation feels right now.

[brendy_éire]

Lads, you would have seen it if you were at the game... Horrific stuff.

Bar the free kick, any other video from the game?

[NeverFeltBetter]

Front page of the Indo today I see. Sigh.

[Crosshead]

Really sad to see a club with such a long history end up like this. Interesting to see how Fran Gavin went to Athlone in March to give an "an Integrity Workshop on the prevention of match-fixing and betting, in his role as FAI Integrity Officer".

[Martinho II]

Have to admit I slogged off the conspiracy theorists because I didn't believe anyone would be stupid enough to think they could get serious money on a LOI first division match without getting caught......seems I was wrong on both counts.....bizarre

yrs ago in late 00s/early 10s there was a sting similar to this in the first division strangely enough including us. also Collie James in 2012 got caught in betting and got sacked by us over it. Remember it?

[Martinho II]

Bar the free kick, any other video from the game?

club videoed it!

[outspoken]

club videoed it!

FAI have asked the club to send it on as well

[gufcfan]

club videoed it!

I hope they don't "lose" it.

[SeanDrog]

It's on torrents as a free download - it's subtitled in Chinese 😂😂😂 boom 💥 ..... I'll get my coat

[Longfordian]

What happens if they can't prove any involvement from anyone officially involved with the club? There's every chance that any of the players that are involved will be keeping their mouths shut for several reasons.

[gufct]

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/national-league/athlone-game-attracted-bets-in-the-region-of-400-000-1.3071865?mode=amp

[osarusan]

One, the club’s Latvian goalkeeper, Igors Labuts, has, it is revealed, previously been involved in games that were “escalated” (scrutinised) by Uefa on 17 occasions.

Is this keeper a guy who travels round clubs at the owner's behest, conceding goals to help betting?

[Longfordian]

Never knew Labuts played for Sporting Fingal back in the day. 17 different games is ridiculous but at the same time if he hasn't been banned to date he must be capable of covering his tracks. He and the others mentioned will probably move on somewhere else now and do the same again after a while. The "investor" has probably made a lot more than he ever put in at this stage.

[KBurke]

So if the investigation dosen't start till Monday I'm guessing the goalkeeper will be leaving the country over the weekend. Family emergency or some similar reason.

Also i'm about to do my predictions for the week anyone know how many Athlone are down to concede this week? :o

[Longfordian]

Two further Athlone games under investigation now according to the FAI.

[pineapple stu]

They did concede a very soft goal in the first minute in the Bowl; I wonder is that one of the games?

Remember commenting here at the time that the keeper simultaneously looked crap and was man of the match in the same game.

But then easier to see mirages of stuff like this if you know it's around somewhere.

[Longfordian]

I've seen the Athlone fans talking about that game and a pre season game against Bohs I think.

[total hoofball]

A good lot of Shels fans who were at their 4-1 win over Athlone were convinced certain Athlone players were throwing the match during the 2nd half, it was a case you had to be at it and see the whole of it to understand the strange play of some of the Athlone players. Goals to the eye all look like standard bad defending/goalkeeping but in hindsight etc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWe-uJiQ-U0

[total hoofball]

Can't get over how investigation only starts on Monday, the FAI must be the most naive or most deliberate investigators to think that all the phone, messaging and email records haven't been long deleted.

Good to see Athlone's starting XI almost intact tonight including super-keeper. I really thought over the past 10 years this league couldn't have got any lower but feck me Delaney and Gavin have it up another notch with this latest farce

[ger121]

I'm very disappointed at the lack of betting puns on this thread. Somebody better fix it!

[redarmyfaction]

You have to be very skeptical about these kind of stories, any south east Asian bookie that would have excess of three figures across his counter concerning a result in minor league, in an obscure country, a few time zones away won't be a bookie for long, Spoilsports wouldn't take a bullseye of you on the outcome first division game.

[SkStu]

Seems like the FAI were caught napping while this was going down.

[disgruntled]

Seems like the FAI were caught napping while this was going down.

No surprise there then.
That's what happens when you have no interest in the League.

[holidaysong]

The national team is clearly their favourite, to the extent that it's a real handicap for the league. :)

[Nesta99]

Aye this investigation is a complete non-runner with all the time to cover their tracks. If the FAI had been quicker out of the traps the odd folks involved with Athlone would have been like lambs to the slotter!!

[Longfordian]

Unsurprisingly the English media is taking an interest. First time I've seen the suggestion that the initial investment was up on €500k though. To be perfectly honest I'd be surprised if they had to go that high. I still think they'll find it hard to nail anyone officially connected to Athlone.

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/sport/football/article-4480776/Chinese-fixing-syndicate-real-new-threat-football.html

[ATFC-1887]

Definitely not 500k. Think they are confusing that with the investment years ago from Declan Molloy to pay off stadium debt.
This new crowd gave 70k.

[ATFC-1887]

They did concede a very soft goal in the first minute in the Bowl; I wonder is that one of the games?

Remember commenting here at the time that the keeper simultaneously looked crap and was man of the match in the same game.

But then easier to see mirages of stuff like this if you know it's around somewhere.

UCD and the first time we played Cobh. Thats the 2 games being investigated on top of the Longford one.
These are not the only games to have irregular betting. Ive seen info on money being placed in Asian markets on other games, albeit smaller amounts and not enough to trigger anything massively suspicious. These bets did match up with what happened in the games. Hopefully the FAI are aware of this and will investigate appropriately. Its not just been league games either. Big money was placed on over 4.5 goals in the pre season game vs bohs.

[pineapple stu]

UC Dublin. :rolleyes:

[disgruntled]

Aye this investigation is a complete non-runner with all the time to cover their tracks. If the FAI had been quicker out of the traps the odd folks involved with Athlone would have been like lambs to the slotter!!

The FAI don't want to find anything.
They have no desire to see the 1st Div reduced any further.

[sidewayspasser]

I think with the "overwhelming evidence" provided by UEFA, the FAI won't get away with finding nothing. So my guess would be that the full blame will be put on a few individual players who, of course, did that completely on their own without anyone else at the club being involved.

[pineapple stu]

The issue is, what if the backers just leave now that they're rumbled?

Can Athlone continue on without them?

[CraftyToePoke]

The issue is, what if the backers just leave now that they're rumbled

Surely the greater issue is these people remaining in situ ?