Life in the 21st century is complicated. As the population continues to explode and everyone competes for resources, every aspect of the human experience becomes a hot commodity. Those who are best at packaging, marketing and selling, manage to outpace the competition to get a nice piece of the money pie. The beautiful game is not immune from this trend of corporatization, as league revenues, television coverage and jersey sales are continuously driven by men in suits.
That corruption and scandal become part of the cycle is only natural, since getting a leg up on the competition is always critical to success. As the FIFA scandal continues to trudge forward until the eventual climax that will be the election of a new President, PortuGOAL examines the different levels of historic corruption in the world’s favourite sport. Prominent examples of cheating, in one form or another can be found on every level; from the individual, to a league, all the way up to the governing body. The unfortunate reality is that this phenomena is not new to football, nor is it likely to disappear anytime soon.
German referee rumbled
At the individual level, we find the recent case of Robert Hoyzer, former German referee. Hoyzer was a young official who in 2005 confessed (after accusations were brought forth to the German FA), to match-fixing and betting on matches which he officiated. Hoyzer allegedly directly influenced the outcomes of games he officiated in the 2. Bundesliga (German 2nd division), and the Regionalliga (German 3rd division). However, perhaps the biggest mark he left was in a DFB-Pokal (German Cup competition) match. Then regional minnows, Paderborn, were awarded several sketchy penalty kicks against Bundesliga powerhouse and delicious-sounding Hamburger SV. These decisions awarded the underdogs a victory and cost the Hamburg outfit their position in the tournament as well as the financial income awarded to clubs who progress in the knockout competition. Hoyzer was found to be in league with three Croatian brother suspected of having gang-ties and betting businesses. The referee was found guilty by a German court and sentenced to two years in prison.
Portugal's Assis debacle and Golden Whistle scandal
During the same year as Germany’s match-fixing exposé, Portugal witnessed its own football scandal in the case of Nuno Assis. The attacking midfielder was a noted Benfica player who tested positive for steroid use in late 2005, after a match with Madeiran club C.S. Maritimo. Notably, Benfica did little to punish the player, as UEFA had to step in and ban Assis from all UEFA matches. Luis Felipe Vieira, then relatively new to his role as club chairman came out swinging in his player’s defence, questioning the quality of the lab and the competence of the personnel who had tested the midfielder. In mid-2006, the Portuguese Football Federation dismissed the charges made against Assis and overturned their initial 6-month ban on him. After several twists and turns in the case, including Benfica’s threat to press charges against the people who tested Assis, it was eventually settled in the Court for Arbitration of Sport that Nuno Assis had indeed tested positive and that there was no questionable conduct or procedure by the testing personnel.
The examples of Hoyzer and Assis illustrate how the decisions of participants on the pitch can cheat to gain an advantage. However, there are also prominent examples of corruption and scandal at the league level. In 2004, and still in Portugal, FC Porto club chairman Pinto da Costa and former Boavista chairman Valentim Loureiro were formally accused by the Portuguese Judiciary Police of attempts at bribing referees. The cases against both prominent executives went away relatively quietly until a chain of events dramatic enough for a soap opera caused the cases to be re-opened. Pinto da Costa’s former partner, Carolina Salgado released a tell-all book which insinuated that the Porto boss had successfully bribed officials (in one instance with prostitutes), on several occasions. As the Portuguese courts re-assessed the cases, da Costa was sentenced to a 2 year suspension and FC Porto were penalized 6 points in the Portuguese league. Valentim Loureiro on the other hand, was cleared of corruption charges but was found guilty of abuse of power, and shockingly, Boavista were relegated to the second division.
Calciopoli
In Italy, Serie A and Serie B were rocked by Calciopoli, a wide-reaching network of bribes and match-fixing that involved European heavyweight AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, Reggina and then-Italian champions Juventus. The investigation uncovered a web of connections that tied club managers and executives to referee organizations. Incredibly, the reach of the scandal also infiltrated the media, as Aldo Biscardi, host of Italy’s most popular football show, resigned amidst allegations of being paid to publicly boost the image of Juventus. When all the dust had settled, Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina were all relegated to Serie B. It can be argued to some extent, that Italian football is still recovering from the effects of Calciopoli.
FIFA implosion
However, all of these examples of corruption in the mid-2000’s are overshadowed by the ongoing FIFA scandal. The murmurs of criminal behaviour within football’s global governing body have been around for decades. What is perhaps most unique to the allegations involving FIFA is the organizations brazen disregard for any form of wrongdoing. For decades, former FIFA President João Havelange was known to receive gifts and financial bribes from different individuals and organizations. He was even openly associated with Brazilian criminal Castor de Andrade and Argentine President Carlos Lacoste, investigated at one time for political corruption. Havelange’s protégé, one Sepp Blatter would go on to become FIFA President in 1998 and continue the tradition of alleged illicit activities.
The selection of Russia and Qatar as hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, have come under immense public scrutiny. There have been major allegations made that the selection process included the awarding of major gifts to members of FIFA’s selection panel, including bribes as high as $1.5 million per vote. Rather than investigating or processing any illegal activities within his organization, Sepp Blatter has instead resorted to accusing the “evil media” of wrongly chastising FIFA. Despite doing his best to convince the world that FIFA was clear of any wrongdoing, 14 FIFA officials were arrested in May of 2015 under charges of wire fraud, money laundering and racketeering by the US Justice Department.
Figo hopes dashed
There was some hope for change in early 2015 as Portuguese legend Luís Figo announced his intention to run for FIFA Presidency. However, that hope was short-lived as the former Seleccao international expressed concern over the deeply entrenched politics and money- dealings he witnessed while campaigning. Despite a close race between the Swiss incumbent and Prince Ali of Jordanm, Blatter won his 5th term as FIFA President when his rival backed out of a second round of votes. However, upon continued media and public scrutiny, Blatter resigned from his post in June of 2015. What followed can only be described as bizarre; Blatter made several comments to the media indicating that he had not in fact resigned. Before he could change his position, a Swiss investigation was launched in September of 2015 to explore a one-time exchange of cash between Blatter and current UEFA President Michel Platini. Both men are currently suspended for 90 days until the investigation concludes.
It would seem that the beautiful game has at one time or another, been affected by some very ugly practices. The purity and joy of sport have taken a back seat to money, greed and corruption. Purist fans of the game can at least hope for a reform of governance within football, but if history is an indicator, it seems the sport will always be hampered by shady practices.
By C.D. Barros
