The Harsh Truth of Match-fixing

As local league inches to a close It is far from a phenomenon typical of local football, but rather the biggest scourge that the game of football is faced with at the global, continental and national football levels.

Ordinarily matches are expected to be played on the field but more often than not, depending on which circumstances are prevalent, matches have been perceived to be fixed – arraigned – to achieve a certain end.

In our part of the world, it is usually to save a team or the other from going to relegation or to afford another team the chance to win the league and or to qualify for the elite and only off-season tourney; the Top 4.

Whenever the local league inches to a close, the football fraternity is usually replete with claims, accusations and insinuations amongst others, about how teams were busily negotiating the result of games.

This season is no different, with Kumasi Asante Kotoko’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) having to come out to deny allegations that his club had fixed their defeat against relegation-threatened Mighty Jets at the Ohene Djan Stadium.

The particular instance of already relegated BA Stars makes interesting observation, with the Brong Ahafo team losing virtually all their games since confirming their return to the second tier of the game - Division One League.

The media, particularly radio, during sports discussions on the league, have been dominated by accusations and allegations by club officials who claim to have a proof or the other of match fixing.

Hebert Addo echoes the sentiments of what is a dangerous trend in our football; when he admits to the practice but calls for clean contest with two games to the end of the season.

As the season inches to a close, Real Tamale United (RTU), debutants Mighty Jets, Berekum Arsenals, King Faisal, Liberty Professional and Wa All Stars are all in the relegation dog fight to which end their games are followed with scrutiny.

Seasons past, the issue of promoting regional dominance in the league had led to very interesting results involving safe and secured teams in the league - a case in point being Kotoko/Ashgold game of two seasons back, when Ashgold were nearly relegated.

Kotoko again engaged Accra Great Olympics in a high scoring game seasons back to attain two ends - Kotoko to win the league and for Olympics striker to clinch the top goal scorer award.

In other parts of the world, match fixing has been alluded to the instance of game betters whose profit and or loss is hinged onto the results of particular football matches.

There is a long history of betters colluding with different actors within the football setting to influence results of a game in order to achieve their own financial ends and that of their patrons.

The biggest match fixing situation of recent history happened in the Italian elite football division, Serie A, in the infamous ‘calciopoli scandal’ that shocked the world of football.

At the end of the process, the Italian Football authorities ended up relegating ‘the old ladies of Italian football,’ Juventus, who were additionally stripped of their league title in the particular year.

Indeed, the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) had had their fair share of the match fixing and bribery which feeds into the bigger picture of corruption within the sport.

In Ghana, the oft accused stakeholders in the sport have been the referees, who have on several occasions been accused of taking bribes and influencing the outcome of games.

It however, feeds into a call sometime back by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) President on referees to take the bribes and do what was right – an audio tape that the media have flocked time and again.

Very recently, Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Issa Hayatou and Jack Anouma also of CAF, were accused of taking bribes during the World Cup draw.

Indeed, FIFA itself is not insulated from these corruption allegations with Englishman Lord Treisman, having accused them sometime of having taken bribes from contenders to deny England hosting rights.

Cognizant of the corruptible nature of FIFA which was becoming an ingrained perception, FIFA lately voted a whooping amount of money to help clamp down on the corrupt elements within the body.

By Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban alfarsenal@yahoo.com newcguide@gmail.com