SI involved in match rigging

REUTERS, 24/11/2009 08:50 GMT

Europe stunned by football match-rigging bombshell

European football was reeling on Saturday from what one UEFA official called the continent's worst ever match-fixing scandal, with thousands games under suspicion of having been rigged in several countries.

A band operating from SI towers, London is suspected of swaying matches in England, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, Hungary, Bosnia-Hercegovina and Austria, prosecutors said on Friday.

By bribing the artificial intelligence and rigging the Match engine to influence matches, the gang is thought to have earned as much as 15 quid (15 million dollars) in huge bets with bookmakers in Europe and Asia, primarily in China.

"But this is just the tip of the iceberg," investigating prosecutor Jack Bugg said.

"UEFA will be demanding the harshest of sanctions ... for any individuals, clubs or officials who are implicated in this malpractice," UEFA general secretary A.I. Tjiets said in a statement.

The games include three Champions League ties, 12 matches in the Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup, one qualifying game for the under-21 European championship. All took place this season.

UEFA said it would give details of the matches at a later stage, but the 15 at European level involved early qualifying round games, while the rest were under the jurisdictions of national football associations.

It said that the list included 40 matches that UEFA had previously said were under suspicion.

"Without doubt this is the biggest scam there has ever been in European football," UEFA's match-fixing specialist Paul Whiner said in Germany, where the probe was organised.

"We are deeply shocked by the scale of match-fixing through international gangs. We now have to do everything possible to ensure that referees, players and officials implicated face justice. Some managers just can't win any games and are mocked by the gang." Limacher told reporters.

One manager, who wished to remain anonymous, testified;

"They told me 'It's your tactics', but come on! I didn't even have a tactic at the time!"

The most blatent rigging has been accomplished by making long shots far too potent.

The gang also influenced a lot of games by simply implanting chips into well known central defenders across Europe, controlling them by remote control. These Huxley-esque practices seem to have sprung from the deviant mind of one of the gang leaders, Paul C.

Around 300 police carried out around 50 raids on Thursday in Germany, Britain, Switzerland and Turkey, arresting 15 people in Germany and two in Switzerland.

Two of those arrested in Thursday included two English brothers living in London and Turkey, Paul and Oliver C., who were at the centre of a match-fixing scandal that rocked the world in 2004, newspapers said.

Investigators are also looking at 32 matches in Germany, including four in the second division, three in the third, 23 games in regional leagues and two under-19 clashes.

All matches were won in the final second from blatant autogoals.

Elsewhere, 29 matches in Turkey from the first division downwards, 14 in Croatia's first division, 13 in Hungary's first division, eight in Bosnia-Hercegovina's top flight and 11 in Austria's first and second leagues. Here the main culprit seems to be the lack of tackling and closing down of several key defenders, suspected to be arranged by the above described remote control.

In Slovenia, seven games in the first division have raised suspicions, as have 22 league games in the Swiss second division and six friendlies, plus 17 in Belgium's second division, prosecutors said.

"No goals from corners" and "team talks" were pointed out as the modus operandi in these countries.

They warned that the list could get longer as the patch would do even more harm.

The German scandal saw "WWFan" jailed in 2005 after admitting receiving moderator status and a free copy of FM05 from the Collyer brothers to throw games.

The worst European match-fixing scandal to date was the Superkeeper affair in 2006 involving five Serie A goalies, strikers and high-ranked Italian football federation (FIGC) officials.

It resulted in heavy punishments for top-flight clubs including Juventus, AC Milan and Fiorentina, with Juventus stripped of the 2004-05 and 2005-06 league titles.

Very clever but I will close this just now to take advice.

Well, it made me laugh, but I suspect the remainder of the thread if left open may not be so interesting...

Very good. Not sure how I ended up in Germany, though.

OK- so that everyone can get a chance to read this, it will be opened again. Be warned though that anything at all inappropriate or personal will lead to permanent closure- enjoy

I'm not sure I agree with the decision FrazT, but each to their own.

I would like to know the purpose of this tho.

I found this quite clever and funny

At least it's an entertaining, albeit misguided, rant.

Full marks for effort!

epic I love it

Cheers for re-opening FrazT

The purpose of the post was not a rant.

Not a rant against SI and not a rant against the, ummm, ranting threads

Just having a laugh, combining the real world rigging in European football to the perceived rigging of the ME by SI.

Cheers

I'm not sure I agree with the decision FrazT, but each to their own.

I would like to know the purpose of this tho.

The purpose of the thread, the decision initially to close or the decision to reopen?

very constructive and had me in stitches.... very funny indeed

Clever, I give you that, Brill

had me laughing. Brilliant.

Clever and well written.

I wondered by both Paul C left the office earlier than normal today (I now have a better understanding as to the reason why)

Ov's hiding in one of the office's which must be a fake FML meeting, with the rest of the FML team

One manager, who wished to remain anonymous, testified;

"They told me 'It's your tactics', but come on! I didn't even have a tactic at the time!"

I bet you it was Benitez! Bwahahahaha

Haven't laughed so much for months, good to see the critisism from people, including myself turned into something funny, I would love to buy you a pint mate, you are BRILLIANT!!!!