Game Iis paying a sad price for being so well off

Oct 5 2008 Andy Walker

I DON'T like betting online - it's far too easy and gambling that way just doesn't feel right.

If I'm making a bet I will go to the bookies. I'll touch the coupon and hand over my stake money.

And when I happen to pick a winner, I enjoy the feel of a wad of cash.

For the record I bet on the fixed odds every week and I'm hopeless.

Like thousands of punters who do the same I cobble together my limited knowledge of teams, players and form then, with a large chunk of guesswork, it's away I go.

I'm one of the dafties who try one pick from each section. I never go for draws so that means I need seven winning teams for a payout.

Even though my seven-team accumulator rarely comes up, I'm happy with the long odds.

So yes, I like to gamble regularly - but thankfully I haven't blown large sums like former Inverness Caley and Aberdeen boss Steve Paterson.

His confession last week he'd blown £1million in bets and that gambling had taken over his life was painful reading. And he's not alone.

Football is full of ex pros with miserable tales of woe. But no sooner had Pele's sad story hit the front pages than an even bigger one emerged.

Accusations of corruption on a massive scale surrounding Zenit St Petersburg's run to the UEFA Cup final last season are now in the public domain.

Apparently, millions were staked on games where the result was pre-determined. Naturally, Dick Advocaat's Zenit side deny any wrongdoing.

To their credit UEFA are setting up a special investigation unit to deal with what is seen as a growing problem.

As well as examining alleged corruption of referees and players, the panel will look at reports of match-fixing relating to gambling. Last year UEFA handed a 96-page report to Interpol detailing suspicions that 26matches in the Champions League, UEFA Cup and the Intertoto Cup had been rigged.

These are their flagship tournaments so UEFA are dead right to be concerned.

President Michel Platini spoke out recently when UEFA's governing body were meeting in Bordeaux. He said: "If matches are being bought, what is the point of playing football?"

But the sad fact is wherever there's influence and money - and football has never been so rich - then deception and dishonesty are never far away.

English Premiership stars Bruce Grobelaar, Hans Segers and John Fashanu were charged 10 years ago with conspiring to throw matches to help a betting syndicate in the Far East.

Even though all three were cleared, it cast a giant shadow over the game.

Certain clubs, managers and agents are constantly under scrutiny as the investigation into fraud within the game leads to high-profile arrests.

When former SFA President John McBeth spoke out about the level of sleaze and serious corruption that he felt was evident at the very top his fall from grace was spectacular.

He referred to FIFA President Sepp Blatter as a "tricky customer" and spoke of a match fee being paid directly into Jack Warner's bank account after Scotland had played a friendly against Trinidad & Tobago. Naturally, Warner claimed it was a pack of lies.

In the end McBeth was forced out of FIFA's Executive Committee after implying that African and Caribbean football was corrupt with Blatter hinting Scotland's reputation had been damaged on the world stage.

McBeth has been accused of many things during his time as head of the SFA - but he's no liar.

Knowing that the rights to host the World Cup in 2018 is up for grabs are we really to believe that no sweeteners take place to secure a vote or two?

Domestically Italy, Portugal and France have all had their recent scandals.

It begs the question, do we have a problem in Scotland?

I don't believe it for a second.

Even though we had wild accusations last season that refs were deliberately setting out to favour one SPL team over another, I don't think our game is bent.

Refereeing standards have dropped - but that's nothing to do with corruption.

When it's been proven in a court of law with taped phone conversations, bank statements showing the transfer of cash and witnesses speaking out, then we'll know we're in trouble.

The depressing truth is match-fixing has been going on for years.

Two years ago in Italy a court ruled that Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina were all guilty of various scams.

Marseille were stripped of their French title 15 years ago after accusations of bribery to another club was proved.

Before that Paulo Rossi, Italy's World Cup hero of 1982, was banned for three years after being found guilty of taking cash from a betting syndicate.

That's proof of corruption. It's up to the relevant authorities to be vigilant and ensure it doesn't creep into our game.

  

AND ANOTHER THING

I can't believe Celtic fans are gettign their knickers in a twist about the dubious foul that handed Villarreal's Marcos Senna the chance to condemn them to another Champions League defeat.

If you make stupid tackles in dangerous areas then referees will give the opposition free-kicks that can punish you.

The same thing happened to Scotland in their World Cup qualifying defeat by Macedonia and to Motherwell last week in the UEFA Cup.  Players winning fous is part of the game.