Memorable Match fixing Moments in Football

Match fixing in football is not a new phenomena. In fact, reports of players, managers, owners and referees attempting to engineer results for financial gain have blighted the game for well over 100 years.

For those who make regular bets on football matches, match-fixing can occasionally be exploited: When word got out about unusual price movements on certain Italian Serie B match results in 2011, many punters took this as a sure sign of match fixing and were able to profit as result.

However, for most serious punters, match fixing is totally unwelcome. It is a hindrance to the hours of hard work they put in studying statistics and trends in order to find betting opportunities. Just like sport, betting should be a fair game in which your win or loss is not tainted by cheating in any shape or form.

There have been many incidents of match fixing – or alleged match fixing – over the years, and this first example takes us back to the English First Division just before the outbreak of the First World War.

Manchester United v Liverpool – April 2 1915

It was approaching the end of the 1914/15 season and Manchester United were struggling to avoid relegation. They were due to host Liverpool at Old Trafford on Friday April 2 with the Merseyside team sat comfortably in mid-table. The day before the Good Friday encounter, several players from both sides met in a local pub for a friendly pre-match drink.

With the prospect of war looming, some of the players were worried about losing their football earnings and talk soon turned to how they could profit from fixing the result of the game. It was eventually agreed that a final score of 2-0 to the home side should be engineered and that the players would back the result at a price of 8-1.

As the match progressed, United eventually took a 2-0 lead – as agreed – but they were stunned to be awarded an unexpected penalty soon after. Responsibility for the spot kick was handed to United Captain and future Barcelona Coach, Patrick O’Connell. The Irishman stepped up to take the kick and, unsurprisingly, blasted the ball well wide of the Liverpool goal. The score remained 2-0 and after the game the players shook hands and left the pitch.

Many observers noted a lack of effort from Liverpool during the game and there were reports of envelopes changing hands after the match – all of which prompted an FA investigation. Seven players were eventually charged, with Liverpool and former Man United player Jackie Sheldon being identified as the instigator of the dubious plan.

Many players had refused to take part in the scheme, including Liverpool player Fred Pagnam who actually fired a shot against the crossbar with the score at 2-0. This moment was further evidence of the plot as he was publicly chastised by his own teammates for attempting to score a goal.

Despite his penalty miss, O’Connell was never charged and continued in his role as United captain until 1919.

Our second match fixing story involves two games and starts in Spain, at a time when tensions were running very high on and off the football pitch; and concludes in Belgium a full 27 years later.

Game 1

Barcelona v Real Madrid – June 6 1970

There have been many occasions over the years when fans of the Catalonian team have accused their rivals from the capital of receiving favourable treatment – whether from officials or from the football authorities. Feelings of disparity were running higher than ever around the time of this controversial Spanish Cup quarter-final second leg match in 1970.

With Madrid leading 2-0 from the first leg, Barcelona needed to be at their very best to stand any chance of progressing to the semi-final stages. By half time they had halved the deficit thanks to a goal from winger Carles Rexach and as the second half kicked off, the momentum was well and truly with the Blaugrana.

After fifty one minutes, the moment of controversy occurred when Real Madrid midfielder Manuel Velázquez chased a through-ball and collided with Barca defender Joaquim Rife. Without hesitation, the young referee Emilio Guruceta pointed to the penalty spot.

There was outrage amongst the Barcelona players who believed the young official had been far too keen to blow his whistle: Not only was it a dubious foul but the incident took place outside the penalty area and Guruceta – who was over 30 yards away – was not in a position to make the call. The players’ frustrations spread to the crowd and the pitch was soon littered with cushions that were thrown by the angry locals in the stands.

After the penalty was converted, the referee added further fuel to the fire by sending off Barca defender Eladio for applauding the official and calling him a cheat. Other Barca players walked off the pitch in protest and cushions continued to rain on to the pitch as the fans grew noticeably wilder.

It soon became impossible for the game to continue as the cushions on the pitch were joined by thousands of fans who approached Guruceta, forcing him to flee down the tunnel. Things eventually turned nasty, fires were started and the riot police were called in to gain control of the escalating situation.

Emilio Guruceta was never charged with attempting to fix the game and many felt sympathy for the young referee in his rookie season. To those at the Catalan club however, the penalty incident was just the latest in a long line of poor refereeing decisions that had gone against them, and proof of the influence that their rivals had over the officials.

So were Barca just being paranoid or was Emilio Guruceta really on the Real Madrid payroll? To try and answer this question, we need to Jump forward 14 years to the 1984 UEFA Cup semi-final second leg between Nottingham Forest and Anderlecht.

Game 2

Anderlecht v Nottingham Forest – April 25 1984

Forest led 2-0 after dominating the first leg and were favourites to progress to the final where fellow English team Tottenham Hotspur were waiting for them. However, it was not to be for Brian Cloughs’ side as Anderlecht won a dramatic game by three goals to nil and advanced to the final with a 3-2 aggregate victory.

The game was notable for two controversial incidents: a dubious penalty awarded to Anderlecht and a last minute disallowed goal for Forest that would have put them though on the away goals rule. Forest Coach Brian Clough was furious with both decisions and blasted the performance of a certain Spanish referee named; you’ve guessed it, Emilio Guruceta.

The Forest boss had been concerned before the game had even kicked off that Anderlecht officials were seen entering and leaving the referees dressing room. Of course, without any evidence of wrong-doing the result was allowed to stand and Guruceta’s reputation remained intact. In fact, the Spaniard continued to work as a professional referee until he was tragically killed in a car accident in 1987.

The truth finally emerged in 1997 when, in a final twist, Anderlecht officials were led to believe that some meetings with Guruceta had been secretly recorded. Under the threat of blackmail, the club finally admitted that the Spanish referee had been given a significant amount of money to influence the game against Nottingham Forest in 1984. The club was given a paltry one-year ban from European football which was eventually overturned on appeal.

While the revelations did not prove conclusively the corruption allegations of 1970, they certainly did add weight the argument of the Catalonians. Here was a referee who was willing to accept a bribe to affect the outcome of a high profile game.

Back in 1987, shortly after the referee’s death, the Guruceta trophy was initiated as an annual award to honour the best referee in Spain. Despite his controversial career and later revelations of bribery, the trophy still bears his name to this day.