Match Fixing: Arrests Germany and Switzerland

[HarpoJoyce]

Police have arrested 15 people in Germany and 2 people in Switzerland in connection with comprehensive match-fixing taken place through several European countries.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...rticle1371042/
"The betting leaders are suspected of bribing players, coaches, referees and other officials to fix games and believed to have made at least $14.82-million, according to Bochum’s police director Friedhelm Althans."


"...The suspected games in Germany were played in the second-division or lower. Other countries involved are Belgium, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, Hungary, Bosnia and Austria.

Among the games believed to have been manipulated are three Champions League games and 12 Europa League games, all this year. Prosecutors did not specify whether those were qualifying games or group-round matches."

[Don't blame the bookmaker for the failings of the punter]

[Closed Account 2]

What a surprise that FIFA / UEFA release this information over the last 48 hours...

[HarpoJoyce]

What a surprise that FIFA / UEFA release this information over the last 48 hours...

I don't know what you mean. Do you mean that a police operation was hurried?


Better break-down of matches to competitions.
Maybe a quicker link: AFP
http://www.afp.com/afpcom/en/taglibr....1227709641948


Berliner morgenpost [German] including a recording of the Polizei Bochum press conference.
http://www.morgenpost.de/sport/artic...eschichte.html

[Closed Account 2]

To me it just looks like a "bad-news" day. By that I mean FIFA/UEFA disseminated the information because either (a) they hope the Stade de France events will over-shadow this match fixing news or (b) they hope the match fixing issue will over-shadow the Stade de France events... Basically there are two events that damage the reputation of FIFA/UEFA and they hope by having them simultaniously one will dilute the impact of the other...

[John83]

Harpo's point is valid cfdh_edmundo: the police have set the timetable on this, not FIFA.

[HarpoJoyce]

To me it just looks like a "bad-news" day. By that I mean FIFA/UEFA disseminated the information because either (a) they hope the Stade de France events will over-shadow this match fixing news or (b) they hope the match fixing issue will over-shadow the Stade de France events... Basically there are two events that damage the reputation of FIFA/UEFA and they hope by having them simultaniously one will dilute the impact of the other...

(I don't know what the other remark from the UCD fan means).


Trust your instincts.
UEFA through their Betting Fraud Detection unit were working with Police forces regarding match-fixing and there had been a suggestion that the investigation included games in Russia at the end of last season.


The date of the operation may have changed because of outside reasons. I doubt it though.

[HarpoJoyce]

Could be worse. Could be facing charges in China.
http://english.sina.com/sports/2010/0121/301368.html
New soccer boss appointed; former could face death
"A new chief has been appointed to the Chinese Football Association (CFA) as the clampdown on gambling and match-fixing in the country's professional game continues, the General Administration of Sport of China (GACS) announced in Beijing on Friday morning, according to local media......"

[HarpoJoyce]

UEFA have sent a file to the Greek Ministry of Sport asking them to launch a preliminary investigation into one match in the Greece Super League and a number of games in the Second Division.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/feedarticle/8982909
Greek Sports Ministry "These matches, according to UEFA and with various degrees of suspicion or technical conviction, were possibly pre-arranged.
"A cross-check with two other dossiers which have already been delivered has been requested and a preliminary investigation."

Don't make a Doxa Drama out of crisis.
"... Super League club PAS Yiannina issued a denial they were involved in match fixing after Greek media reported their 2-1 win over Panthrakikos on Jan. 10 was included in UEFA's report because of unusual betting patterns relating to the game.
"PAS Yiannina would like to express its rage and repulsion concerning the publications that have come to light through television reports and websites," the club said in a statement.


PAS Yiannina also known as PAS Giannina FC rom Ioannina.

[HarpoJoyce]

Turkey:
Early report 17 individuals detained Wed. March 24th, including " Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi Sports Club assistant trainer Arif Erdem, former Galatasaray player Fatih Akyel, Sivasspor footballer Erman Kılıç and Konyaspor’s goalkeeper Recep Öztürk."
http://www.sabahenglish.com/sport/9252.html

Later reports have it at 46 detained (BBC)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8586307.stm
"...Some 30 matches are believed to have been fixed in Turkey. ...."

National Turk mention close to 50. And also give the initials of a suspected "middle man" arrested in Antalya
http://www.nationalturk.com/en/middl...urkey-47347656
"The man from Antalya only known as S.P. is thought to be unemployed and was arrested by Antalya police forces.
The suspect is thought to be the middle man who enables the match fixing gang to communicate with professional footballers and other officials.
S.P. will be handed over to the Istanbul based financial crime police unit for questioning."

The reports I have read directly link these detentions to the 'Bochum Case' which led to arrests in Germany and Switzerland.

Regarding the terms 'Match-Fixing' and 'Betting Fraud', both terms have a negative impact on the industry they describe. For me they describe different actions and identify different industries. I am wary of the Gambling Industry normalising itself within sport and describing itself as a passive "Gaming Industry" for me it is on a vice list aswell as Tobacco, Alcohol, Fast Food, Media. If alternative sponsors can be found than these industries, then that should be explored.

[HarpoJoyce]

Italy - Serie A

http://english.aljazeera.net/sport/2...247920191.html
"Italian Football Federation officials are awaiting developments in a criminal court case in Naples as they consider opening a new investigation into the match-fixing scandal that rocked the national sport four years ago.....

The new phone taps came to light as part of the defence of former Juventus executive Luciano Moggi in the Naples case, with Moggi arguing that all the teams were in contact with refereeing officials.

In the purported conversations – as printed in the Gazzetta – Inter president Massimo Moratti is heard talking with referee selector Paolo Bergamo about the match officials for an Italian Cup game that Inter went on to win 3-1 over Bologna in January 2005.

Moratti has rejected the new allegations as "ridiculous and shameful," while Bergamo maintains that he "always spoke regularly with all the club presidents."

Uomo a Roma Paddy Agnew on a March Cheivo - Catania match. (Although it may a Gambling Industry running scared story).
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/fifa...n-serie-a.html
"...For those who do not speak Italian, let me say that a pari annunciato, the term that Italian media have widely used to describe the match, literally means an "announced draw". In real terms, this means that everybody knew the match would end in a draw. In other words, it was a fix."

[HarpoJoyce]

Macedonia/ Champions League

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) partial upheld a UEFA Appeals decision to suspend FK Pobeda from UEFA competitions for eight years starting from 2009/10 and banned President Aleksandar Zabrcanec from football for life. CAS upheld the appeal by individual player/athlete Nikolce Zdraveski.

http://www.uefa.com/uefa/footballfir...d=1477005.html
"The case relates to disciplinary decisions taken with regard to unusual betting patterns in a UEFA Champions League first qualifying round match between Pobeda and Armenian club FC Pyunik in 2004/05, and subsequent decisions taken by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body and the Appeals Body. The matter was ultimately referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"The CAS Panel decided to confirm in part the UEFA decision considering that the evidence brought by UEFA was sufficient to establish that the matches between Pobeda and Pyunik were fixed," said CAS in its statement.

The involvement of Mr Zabrcanec, president of the club, in this manipulation was recognised by the CAS Panel and, as a consequence, the responsibility of FK Pobeda was also confirmed. However, the CAS Panel was not satisfied by the evidence brought forward (...) against Mr Zdraveski and was not comfortably satisfied to establish that he was actually involved in match-fixing. Due to this lack of evidence, the disciplinary measures that have been ordered against him by UEFA were annulled."

Tas/CAS Press Release
http://www.tas-cas.org/d2wfiles/docu...15.04.2010.pdf

"...- FK Pobeda is excluded from any UEFA competition for eight years starting from the
2009/2010 season.
- Aleksandar Zabrcanec is sanctioned with a life ban on exercising any football-related
activities.
Furthermore, the appeal of Nikolce Zdraveski is admitted and the UEFA decision in this regard
of 27 May 2009 is annulled....

However, the CAS Panel was not satisfied by the evidence brought forward by the
UEFA against Mr Zdraveski and was not comfortably satisfied to establish that he was actually
involved in match fixing. Due to this lack of evidence, the disciplinary measures that have been
ordered against him by UEFA were annulled.
It is the first decision rendered by the CAS in relation to match fixing......"

[HarpoJoyce]

Croatia/Hravatska - (incl. T-Com Prva HNL)

http://arabnews.com/world/article62826.ece
" 'After an investigation lasting several months following information received from the German police, 22 people are under suspicion of a match-fixing and betting scam. Among those under investigation are 20 Croatian and two Slovenian citizens,' the [police] statement said.
It said more people might be detained in the investigation, in which Croatian police had cooperated with those of several European countries."

http://http://sports.xin.msn.com/foo...mentid=4137244
"Several people suspected of being linked with football match-fixing and betting fraud were detained as part of a probe led by the national Bureau for the Fight Against Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK)," an interior ministry statement said.
So far 20 Croatian and two Slovenian nationals are being probed, while more people will be questioned, the ministry added.
According to local media reports, several Croatian first division players are among the suspects."

"..At the time, German prosecutors identified Croatia as one of nine European countries where a 200-strong gang had been rigging games.
The other countries included Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey.
By bribing players, coaches, referees and officials to influence games, the gang is thought to have earned as much as 10 million euros (12 million dollars) in huge bets with bookmakers in Europe and Asia, primarily in China.
It is believed that in Croatia they have been earning between 150,000 and 300,000 euros (179,000 and 358,000 dollars) per match, a police spokesman told national radio.
Krunoslav Borovec said that apart from Germany, Croatian police were also cooperating with their colleagues in several other European countries over the issue.
"The probe is leading us towards some matches played abroad," he said, but refused to elaborate on the countries involved.
Meanwhile, the Croatian Football Association (HNS) hailed the operation.
The HNS in a statement voiced its support for police efforts to "fight against this kind of internationally widespread criminal activity that inflicts grave damage to both football and sport as a whole."

In other Media-Whoring news
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Specials...81098&rss=true

Derek Hill describes the chances of match-fixing taken place during the current World Cup as "Highly Probable".
What a wag!

[HarpoJoyce]

Update on Bochum investigation
Returning to the mass arrests in Germany and Switzerland, Bochum police appear to be bringing charges against some of the accused in the “Wettskandel” small bite-sized cases. They have charged two unidentified people in late August and again in September.
Bochum Justice(Prosecution) website (German)
http://www.sta-bochum.nrw.de/presse/pressemit/index.php

On August 25th two unidentified people were charged, with varying involvement, with interacting with others, to manipulate the outcome of 24 football matches. 10 in Germany and 14 in European countries outside Germany. They are accused of paying €350,000 to encourage players or referees in anti-competitive behaviour. They are accused of then betting €1.8 million and reaping €1.45 profits.

On September 3rd, two unidentified people were charged with having tampered with or promoted the manipulation of football matches , along with others. Seven games already listed in the previous charge and another concern of seven games played in Germany only. They are accused of paying players or referees €20,000, betting €225,000 and making profit of €140,000.

13 July 2010
Bochum police and prosecution say that currently, the investigation is directed against more than 250 suspicious people and affects about 270 suspicious matches at home and abroad. These games are distributed among the individual countries as follows: (in brackets are the figures from 2009 are indicated)
Germany 53 (32)
Belgium 19 (17)
Switzerland 35 (28)
Croatia 15 (14)
Slovenia 7 (7)
Turkey 74 (29)
Hungary 14 (13)
Bosnia 8 (8)
Austria 12 (11)
International 33 (15)

They say that they have found evidence of €12 million bets, bribes to referees, players and other items €1.5 million and recorded gains €7.5 milllions.

[HarpoJoyce]

Bayern Munich has brought defamation proceedings against two UEFA employees.
Maybe Chairperson Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is the injured individual. But as already seen, it’s not possible to continual mention club and suspect matches without upsetting people within the sport. Bayern Munich has lodged a defamation case against Head of disciplinary services Peter Limacher and a Croatian from Munich Robin Boksic.
(Bayern Munich Press Release – English)
http://www.fcbayern.t-com.de/en/news...dc0c917b11b707
“FC Bayern München AG has today pressed charges with the München I public prosecutor’s office against Peter Limacher and Robin Boksic, employees of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The club has acted as a result of an article published by stern magazine website stern.de (Uefa vertraut Hochstapler, “Uefa trusts conman”) in its edition dated Thursday 16 September. The article reports that the two individuals concerned have discredited clubs, associations and individuals involved in professional football, including FC Bayern München, with gross falsehoods and defamatory statements. The claims uncovered by stern are monstrous and must be severely penalised accordingly.”

(stern magazine article – German)
http://www.stern.de/sport/fussball/a...d691a3afd6483e

It’s suggested Limacher and Boksic discussed that Bayern Munich sold a UEFA Cup semi-final leg in 2008 when St. Petersburg won 4-0 to the ‘Russian Mafia’.

Limacher has a leading role on the football side of the Bochum Wettskandal and previously Boksic was connected with the Robert Hoyzer referee case. Hoyzer was sentenced to over two year’s imprisonment after he admitted to putting money on a German Cup game in 2005 between Paderborn and Hamburg SV. Hamburg took a 2-0 lead, Hoyzer awarded Paderborn two penalties and they eventually won the game 4-2. In the stern article Boksic has described himself as an agent with the Federal Intelligence Services (BND).

UEFA reacted with shock.
http://en.uefa.com/uefa/aboutuefa/ne...d=1530211.html
“In a letter to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, FC Bayern München chairman, UEFA has expressed its shock ...”
“...general secretary Gianni Infantino. ‘We have never considered them to be guilty of anything, and I am surprised to see them attacking UEFA like this. It is sad, and it appears as though they are overreacting. UEFA and the clubs are on the same side in such a battle, and we should remain united, to be stronger against corruption. Peter Limacher is at the forefront of a very difficult battle, and he has our entire trust...”

But UEFA want to make it all better between UEFA president Michel Platini, general secretary Gianni Infantino and KH Rumenigge
http://en.uefa.com/uefa/aboutuefa/ne...d=1531944.html
“...In an open and constructive conversation, it was mentioned that, in the light of the recent press coverage, UEFA understands the reasons for the reaction of FC Bayern München.
FC Bayern München has been informed that, in order to clarify the case, UEFA has already opened an internal investigation into the whole matter.”


List of the ten German domestic matches which is a priority with the Bochum prosecution
http://www.derwesten.de/nachrichten/...l#derwestenRSS
U 19: Schalke - Bielefeld, November 2009
DFB-Pokal: Speldorf - RWO, August 2009
Regionalliga: Bor. Mönchengladbach - SC Verl, Mai 2009
Regionalliga: FC Köln - SC Verl, Juni 2009
Regionalliga: VfB Lübeck - Fortuna Düsseldorf, April 2008
2. Liga: FC Nürnberg - VfL Osnabrück, Mai 2009
2, Liga: FC Augsburg - VfL Osnabrück, April 2009
Regionalliga: Jena - VfL Osnabrück, Mai 2008
Regionalliga:: Bayern Alzenau - SC Freiburg Amateure, September 2009
Regionalliga:: Bayern Alzenau - VfR Aalen, Oktober 2009

U19 Schalke – Arminia Bielefeld game included a poor decision for a penalty. And a Regionalliga third division game featured promotion chasing Lubeck losing to second from bottom Fortuna Dusseldorf 3-1. Lubeck had a player sent off. Later in the season, Lubeck lost their promotion play-off match which is a game on another list.

[Dodge]

Thanks for all these links Harpo. Don't know enough about the situations to add much but enjoy reading them. Not sure enjoy is the word I want to use but there you go...