Match-fixing report puts spotlight on Asian graft
Source: Agencies |
February 7, 2013, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
WHILE there was some shock at the extent of the match-fixing revealed in Monday's Europol report, there can be little surprise the fixers were based in Singapore given the history of corruption in Asian soccer.
From China's 'golden whistles' scandal of the early 2000s to the 41 players from South Korea's K-League banned by FIFA for match-fixing just last month, the taint of corruption has rarely been far from the game in the world's most populous continent.
European anti-crime agency Europol on Monday blamed criminal syndicates based in Singapore for fixing hundreds of matches in a global scam over three years from 2008.
The driving force behind the match-fixing is the huge amount of money gambled on soccer on the continent.
Chris Eaton, former head of security at FIFA and now head of an anti-corruption watchdog, estimates US$3 billion a day is bet on sport, most of it on soccer and most related to southeast Asia.
The Europol report said German police had proof 8 million euros (US$11 million) had been made in gambling profits from the scam but it was probably the tip of the iceberg. "It's infinitesimal compared to what was made in the Asian market," Eaton said yesterday.
In China, one expert at Peking University estimated that illegal gambling was worth US$150 billion a year in 2009.
China attempted to clean up its house in 2006 with an Anti-Football Gambling Leadership Group.
The effort was somewhat undermined when the soccer official appointed to lead the group, Nan Yong, was jailed for 10 1/2 years after being found guilty of taking 1.48 million yuan (US$237,600) in bribes last year.
Malaysia, which was rocked by a match-fixing scandal in the mid-1990s resulting in more than a 100 players being banned, handed out long suspensions to 18 youth players in February last year for match-fixing.
Then last month, the long-running enquiry into match-fixing in South Korea's top flight K-League - a scandal so embarrassing the government threatened to shut the league down - resulted in the 41 players being banned for life.
From China's 'golden whistles' scandal of the early 2000s to the 41 players from South Korea's K-League banned by FIFA for match-fixing just last month, the taint of corruption has rarely been far from the game in the world's most populous continent.
European anti-crime agency Europol on Monday blamed criminal syndicates based in Singapore for fixing hundreds of matches in a global scam over three years from 2008.
The driving force behind the match-fixing is the huge amount of money gambled on soccer on the continent.
Chris Eaton, former head of security at FIFA and now head of an anti-corruption watchdog, estimates US$3 billion a day is bet on sport, most of it on soccer and most related to southeast Asia.
The Europol report said German police had proof 8 million euros (US$11 million) had been made in gambling profits from the scam but it was probably the tip of the iceberg. "It's infinitesimal compared to what was made in the Asian market," Eaton said yesterday.
In China, one expert at Peking University estimated that illegal gambling was worth US$150 billion a year in 2009.
China attempted to clean up its house in 2006 with an Anti-Football Gambling Leadership Group.
The effort was somewhat undermined when the soccer official appointed to lead the group, Nan Yong, was jailed for 10 1/2 years after being found guilty of taking 1.48 million yuan (US$237,600) in bribes last year.
Malaysia, which was rocked by a match-fixing scandal in the mid-1990s resulting in more than a 100 players being banned, handed out long suspensions to 18 youth players in February last year for match-fixing.
Then last month, the long-running enquiry into match-fixing in South Korea's top flight K-League - a scandal so embarrassing the government threatened to shut the league down - resulted in the 41 players being banned for life.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
