Irish Football Fixed Rumour

Gareth37

According to a lot of different sources there seems to be a rumour circulating that the relegation battle in the League of Ireland has been fixed.

Bookmakers seem to have suspended all betting on the relegation battle as a result.

Im not sure what truth is in this rumour but there have been suggestings that one club in particular has been offering bungs to players (goalkeepers I think) to let in goals.

There have also been suggestions that the fixtures have set up to be favourable to that same team.

The rumours are circulating after the FAI made Saint patrick's play 2 matches in 3 days.. They also forced Cork City to travel to galway just 3 days after travellign to derry for a cup game.

There seems to be little or no evidence for the fixing but the unusual fixture lists and uncharacteristic goalkeeping errors in some games as well as Bookmakers' decision not to offer any odds on the relegation battle amid rumours that one club bet player bonuses on a victory, on behalf of certain players on the opposing team... :eek:

More to follow Im sure but I must say that Im disgusted that corruption exists at this level of football.

_blank_

I have to say, I'm not surprised.

For a few years now I've seen Asian dudes at matches, on the phone for the whole game.

One game that strikes me is a FAI Cup game in 2006 involving UCD and Limerick. I was covering the game for a website, and there was me, a journo from the indo and the players and backroom staff at the game.

And this Asian fella.

I'm not casting aspersions on any club here, I want to make that clear.

Another time I saw an Asian fella standing in the lane behind the stand at Richmond Park, on the phone the whole time, just sticking his head into see the match from time to time.

Betting on the LoI is absolutely huge in Asia during the summer months.

Gareth37

Des wrote: »

I have to say, I'm not surprised.

For a few years now I've seen Asian dudes at matches, on the phone for the whole game.

One game that strikes me is a FAI Cup game in 2006 involving UCD and Limerick. I was covering the game for a website, and there was me, a journo from the indo and the players and backroom staff at the game.

And this Asian fella.

I'm not casting aspersions on any club here, I want to make that clear.

Another time I saw an Asian fella standing in the lane behind the stand at Richmond Park, on the phone the whole time, just sticking his head into see the match from time to time.

Betting on the LoI is absolutely huge in Asia during the summer months.

But for a club to engage in such activity is even worse. Its very unfair on the other clubs invovled int eh relegation battle.

_blank_

Gareth37 wrote: »

But for a club to engage in such activity is even worse. Its very unfair on the other clubs invovled int eh relegation battle.

I have it on good authority that there were players involved in betting against themselves in a match at the end of last season.

Their team lost the game.

Now, their club had nothing to play for, neither did the club they were playing.

The players no longer play for that club.

galwayrush

Betting is widespread in every sport, but that fixtures are fixed to suit a particular club??? absolute bull****.

_blank_

galwayrush wrote: »

Betting is widespread in every sport, but that fixtures are fixed to suit a particular club??? absolute bull****.

See my previous post.

stovelid

Gareth37 wrote: »

The rumours are circulating after the FAI made Saint patrick's play 2 matches in 3 days.. They also forced Cork City to travel to galway just 3 days after travellign to derry for a cup game.
.

I've heard the rumours too. I too wouldn't discount them, to be honest, the shambolic nature of the league probably attracts it. I find it hard to believe that the F.A.I would be complicit in it though.

Funny how outsiders (not you guys obviously) will get shocked about this, but when you think of the widely accepted other sh*t that goes on... cash on the gate scams; flouting wage caps openly and lying about it, the registration fiasco...it's no wonder the league is a laughing stock. Dunphy was right: it's a huge organization run by little men.

If a fixing scam was proved, it would be last straw, publicity-wise.

fullstop

galwayrush wrote: »

Betting is widespread in every sport, but that fixtures are fixed to suit a particular club??? absolute bull****.

No need to get all defensive Galwayrush

AARRRGH

Considering a lot of high profile international games are fixed (I used to work for a bookies so can confirm this) it would not surprise me whatsoever that the odd FAI game is fixed.

Thinking about it simply... if I were a goalie for SmallTown United and I had the facilities to lay a scoreless game or whatever, why wouldn't I let in a goal?

_blank_

fullstop wrote: »

No need to get all defensive Galwayrush

Indeed.

applehunter

Ive seen some strange betting on 1st division games on betfair. But also a euro game. On pats 1st sound euro game this season against some minnows there was over 1 m bet on the game. Thats off the charts. Pats won with a late ryan guy goal btw.

Jazzy

i just found out today that a guy i was in class with in primary school plays for galway utd. John Fitzgerald. is he any use? i see he is captain anyhow according to wiki.
he was deadly back in the day of course and he played for blackburn and bury for a while. got a few goals for ireland u-20's and u-21 playing from centre back which i thought was a bit odd.

sorry for going off topic there, its just i notice that galway are also in the relegation battle

ArmaniJeanss

AARRRGH wrote: »

Considering a lot of high profile international games are fixed (I used to work for a bookies so can confirm this) it would not surprise me whatsoever that the odd FAI game is fixed.

Any chance of a few examples? And you are not allowed pick Albania v Georgia matches as your 'high profile international games'.

Guy:Incognito

AARRRGH wrote: »

Thinking about it simply... if I were a goalie for SmallTown United and I had the facilities to lay a scoreless game or whatever, why wouldn't I let in a goal?

Do you steal from shops? Your often in a position to do that.



I cant imagine ever not playign as wellas I can in any game (deliberately) . Thats right from my regualar saturday game of indoor up to any level I was fortunate enough to get a game in. It just wouldnt sit right with me. Money wouldnt change that. Same reason I hate the rare occurance when I have to go off injured. If I can possibley play on through pain I will. Same reason divign never sits right with me, for any reason.

Boggles

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Any chance of a few examples? And you are not allowed pick Albania v Georgia matches as your 'high profile international games'.

I'd like to hear a few examples too.

Although if Italian football can be rotten to the core, I'm sure it's not beyoned the bounds of reality that the "No Sponsor League" could have a few rouge pups.

Guy:Incognito

What happened to the big 1 hour hullabaloo a week or 2 back about last years UEFA cup being fixed by Zenith that seems to have just been forgotten? and the stuff the other day about the Russian league?

ArmaniJeanss

Stekelly wrote: »

What happened to the big 1 hour hullabaloo a week or 2 back about last years UEFA cup being fixed by Zenith that seems to have just been forgotten?

There was zero actual evidence put forward about the UEFA Cup 'fixing', so the story was always likely to die until such evidence comes forward.

In truth ZSP were by a country mile the best and most committed team in that competition so I'd be doubtful if any money needed to change hands.

ziggy

This post has been deleted.

Eirebear

galwayrush wrote: »

Betting is widespread in every sport, but that fixtures are fixed to suit a particular club??? absolute bull****.

Nah, that SFA, sorry i mean the FAI would never dream of making teams play so many matches so quickly unless they had to ;)

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

There was zero actual evidence put forward about the UEFA Cup 'fixing', so the story was always likely to die until such evidence comes forward.

I'd be interested in seeing how much evidence turned up if it wasnt a match involving one of the worlds most powerful teams (munich)

Im honestly starting to lose faith in the people who run football and the corruption involved at the highest level, the game I grew up loving is in many ways no longer a game.

SectionF

Eirebear wrote: »

Nah, that SFA, sorry i mean the FAI would never dream of making teams play so many matches so quickly unless they had to ;)



I'd be interested in seeing how much evidence turned up if it wasnt a match involving one of the worlds most powerful teams (munich)

Im honestly starting to lose faith in the people who run football and the corruption involved at the highest level, the game I grew up loving is in many ways no longer a game.

If you're looking for corruption, you indeed should look no further than the highest level in the game, i.e. the English Premier League. There is documented evidence, and history, there of large-scale unethical behaviour, and I'm sure there are plenty of records in the archive here on that.

As for LoI, this story as presented so far in this thread is a ball of smoke, with not a shred of evidence put forward. There will always be rumours, and, as with all rumours, it is not impossible that some of them are true. The potential for fixing is there, but it is also there in any other sport, at any other level. If it is happening, the clubs and people involved should be punished so severely that no one will ever want to do it again.

Of course, the people who want to drive the Dunphy-LoI-as-laughing-stock agenda have a special interest in fuelling and promoting such rumours. Remember, this guy has a vested interest in fixing things for himself: he was the nutjob who fronted the campaign for Wimbledon to become Dublin United, so how his self-regarding drivel is accorded any credibility in any discussion of LoI is beyond me.

Asian betting reporters attending LoI matches is nothing new, and their motivation is not necessarily crooked. It is to get information as quickly as possible from a faraway, obscure league, to beat opponents on exchanges. That doesn't require fixing. In fact, they are quite open about their presence, and even have advertised on football forums for paid reporters.

monkey9

Gareth37 wrote: »

According to a lot of different sources there seems to be a rumour circulating that the relegation battle in the League of Ireland has been fixed.

Bookmakers seem to have suspended all betting on the relegation battle as a result.

Im not sure what truth is in this rumour but there have been suggestings that one club in particular has been offering bungs to players (goalkeepers I think) to let in goals.

There have also been suggestions that the fixtures have set up to be favourable to that same team.

The rumours are circulating after the FAI made Saint patrick's play 2 matches in 3 days.. They also forced Cork City to travel to galway just 3 days after travellign to derry for a cup game.

There seems to be little or no evidence for the fixing but the unusual fixture lists and uncharacteristic goalkeeping errors in some games as well as Bookmakers' decision not to offer any odds on the relegation battle amid rumours that one club bet player bonuses on a victory, on behalf of certain players on the opposing team... :eek:

More to follow Im sure but I must say that Im disgusted that corruption exists at this level of football.

I don't think it's really true to say that Pat's were 'MADE' play two games in three days. The Rovers match last Saturday was meant for the night before, but Shels were playing in Tolka that night so hence the Saturday switch. The Galway match was a game that had already had been postponed twice due to the weather and had to be fitted in somewhere. The league games are not important to Pat's anymore, bar hanging on to the 2nd spot. The Bohs match tonight is the big one so Pat's would have been happy with the Monday match and more time to prepare. Don't see anything sinister in that at all.

djpbarry

Gareth37 wrote: »

The rumours are circulating after the FAI made Saint patrick's play 2 matches in 3 days..

The game had been postponed twice and they had to get it out of the way. Pats didn't want it played on the Tuesday because they wanted as much time to prepare for tonight’s game as possible.

Gareth37 wrote: »

They also forced Cork City to travel to galway just 3 days after travellign to derry for a cup game.

No reason why Cork could not go straight from Derry to Galway if it was that big a deal to them. Did Cork complain?

Gareth37 wrote: »

There seems to be little or no evidence for the fixing...

So why did you start a thread on it?