How corrupt is football?

[number4.]

Almost every country has had a Referreeing scandal
The Premier League twigged that you can get caught if one or two Reffs are bent. But if all the Reffs are inside the tent peeing out its not a problem - hence PGMOL...allegedly. without prejudice, etc.

I think the scandal of PL reffing is the incredibly average refs.... one thing I have always wondered is why the "best league in the world" isn't signing ref's from other countries and dropping the dross in the PL, it would be a great addition to the league and probably drop some of the tin foil hat conspiracies

The other big problem with VAR is refs being asked to undermine their mates and show them up; not gonna happen because they now it's vice versa a week later.

 

[kev]

Corruption exists wherever money abounds.
Football (at the higher levels) is awash with the stuff. It would take a very naive individual to believe that corruption isn't rife.

 

[witchdoc187]

It used to be laughed off as tin foil hat stuff but corruption has been proven at the very highest level of the game (only when it pissed on the shoes of America's government...)

Corruption has been proven at some of the world's biggest clubs in Serie A.

We have pundits such as Le Tissier admitting his part in match fixing - but broadcasters don't care.

It's not tin foil hat stuff to think corruption exists in a multi billion pound industry.

But just how corrupt is the game?

I remember reading a book about the power of sponsers who forced Ronaldo to play in the world cup final despite being injured in France 98. Where there's money there is corruption. It's blatantly fixed

 

[Lob]

It is so corrupt that it is probably not even fixable sadly. They just do whatever they want whether it be on the management side or officiating side and are answerable to nobody and have self protective rules in place so that people are scared to say anything and mostly stay quiet for fear of being heavily fined or even banned.

 

[Blues Harp]

It doesn't need to be corrupt. The rules of FFP or the top clubs spinning off and having their own meetings, trying to cut their own deals to secure more income for themselves allows them to secure and guarantee their status. They know City are at the top table, FFP ruling on that was to deter any other clubs from even bothering. Thankfully, it didn't get upheld.

Liverpool winning is good for the story. But in all honesty it was always going to be a case of 'when' not 'if'. The referrees are not corrupt, they're just subconsciously biased towards the bigger clubs.

"Liverpool winning is good for the story....?? While being juiced up on PEDS and benefiting from dicey var" decisions"? OK mate
....

 

[PhilM]

I think the scandal of PL reffing is the incredibly average refs.... one thing I have always wondered is why the "best league in the world" isn't signing ref's from other countries and dropping the dross in the PL, it would be a great addition to the league and probably drop some of the tin foil hat conspiracies

The other big problem with VAR is refs being asked to undermine their mates and show them up; not gonna happen because they now it's vice versa a week later.

But PGMOL will never contemplate that, so unless it's forced upon them then there will be this continued cycle of poor referees not being help to account.

 

[Maine road Man]

Is this a trick question or something?

Football has been corrupt for years, compounded by the fact that whilst thousands were dying from Covid corrupt barstewards were more concerned on plotting ways to make sure LiVARpool 'won' the league, and they did *'win' the league! Bets got paid out and I'm not talking winning a few quid at Ladbrokes and the like.

And CAS are corrupt according to Tebas

 

[fabricsince1985]

"Liverpool winning is good for the story....?? While being juiced up on PEDS and benefiting from dicey var" decisions"? OK mate
....

Admittedly, I didn't articulate this well. By 'good for the story' I meant from a Premier League (the company/business) point of view. The Premier League, for 'the brand', want Liverpool or Man Utd to win the league - failing that, they want other high profile clubs, such as Chelsea, Arsenal and City to win it. Spurs would be a nice fairytale if it was to happen. I believe it's engineered to give these clubs the best chance to be at the top, so on that basis it's corrupt. I just don't believe the refs are in on it. It's all set up in their favour anyway.

The Premier league don't want us, Leicester etc anywhere near the top. It's not in their commercial interest.

 

[TheBigIguana]

Admittedly, I didn't articulate this well. By 'good for the story' I meant from a Premier League (the company/business) point of view. The Premier League, for 'the brand', want Liverpool or Man Utd to win the league - failing that, they want other high profile clubs, such as Chelsea, Arsenal and City to win it. Spurs would be a nice fairytale if it was to happen. I believe it's engineered to give these clubs the best chance to be at the top, so on that basis it's corrupt. I just don't believe the refs are in on it. It's all set up in their favour anyway.

The Premier league don't want us, Leicester etc anywhere near the top. It's not in their commercial interest.

Having a strong league top to bottom would actually be the better thing for the PL but the problem is relegation makes that such a risky proposition that teams like United and the RS are never going to let it come close to happening.

 

[JAYMULL]

No question, corrupt 100%. VAR is corrupt, no doubt, part of the betting syndicate, its been going on in Italy and other countries for years, coaches, players, managers CEO's have been jailed for their part. It would be naive to believe it wasn't happening here.
Personally I'm pleased City got off the hook as there is no such thing as financial fair play and City are doing what Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Madrid, Bayern etc..have done for years. If you look at the main spenders over the past 20+ seasons you wouldn't be suprised your who was there. Klopp and Mourinho are hypocrites for complaining about UEFA's decision to overturn the ban. I think City are spoiling the party for the 'big' names. They were absolutely robbed against Spurs last season. I heard some months ago that Daniel Levy has a seat at the UEFA table and has influence there, I expected the usual clubs to have a say but Spurs are hardly top draw are they.

 

[H.H.]

I remember being pleased when I heard the score was a 3-2 win but when I saw the goals it was time I realised it happens. The Wimbledon goalkeeper letting in the very soft late goal against Everton and the ref giving a non penalty to Everton to stop relegation.

 

[Graeme Shar-pei]

sports like swimming, running, cycling, cricket etc produce nowhere near the $$$ that football does.

so if sports like that are packed with doping and corruption it would seem impossible to me that football could be clean

 

[H.H.]

No question, corrupt 100%. VAR is corrupt, no doubt, part of the betting syndicate, its been going on in Italy and other countries for years, coaches, players, managers CEO's have been jailed for their part. It would be naive to believe it wasn't happening here.
Personally I'm pleased City got off the hook as there is no such thing as financial fair play and City are doing what Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Madrid, Bayern etc..have done for years. If you look at the main spenders over the past 20+ seasons you wouldn't be suprised your who was there. Klopp and Mourinho are hypocrites for complaining about UEFA's decision to overturn the ban. I think City are spoiling the party for the 'big' names. They were absolutely robbed against Spurs last season. I heard some months ago that Daniel Levy has a seat at the UEFA table and has influence there, I expected the usual clubs to have a say but Spurs are hardly top draw are they.

A nice thought but I doubt very much little not very rich Levy and he's European wise, very little Spurs have any influence at the top table?

 

[Saint Domingo]

There’s been doping scandals in niche sports like swimming and cycling where the money is pennies compared to football yet people genuinely think it doesn’t happen? Some teams just dope better than others. Then there’s VAR which has showed that even if you slow something down and have three refs looking at it they can still just go against all evidence and give the decision the other way. VAR isn’t consulted when the decision is the one they don’t want (Calvert Lewin’s pen at Anfield not even looked at) but they’ll use to inspect a Cm of grass if it will sway the outcome in the direction they want.

The whole thing is rigged. The problem for the people rigging it is that lately United Liverpool and Arsenal have been so tragic that even the refs haven’t managed to get them over the line until this season. City have been so poor this season that Liverpool may well have still won it, but not by 20 points, and nowhere near a prem record. Had City’s spirit not been broken by the frankly ridiculous VAR rulings from day 1 of the season then there might have still been a title race to be had.

 

[Seathestars]

The irony of Platini being the brainchild of FFP

It‘s like Saville being the brainchild of save the children