04/19/24
July 08, 2006
Players allegedly bet on own teams in top soccer league ... in England.: Top PR adviser Max Clifford claims he was approached to run media blankout for four EPL players, including at least one England international, who allegedly bet hundreds of thousands of pounds on their own teams. Part of the deal involved the players agreeing to visit a hospice for terminally ill children. Mr Clifford said he decided to speak out after he claimed the players had not kept their side of the bargain. Is this for real? Who are the players (I have a couple of guesses ... inside)? Are there more EPL players, staff, officials, etc. involved? Do we have the makings of an Italian-level scandal here?
posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 01:51 AM - 15 comments
Clifford is no fool and knows the media game well, but he hasn't named anyone and the story is lacking in detail , so I suspect this is just Clifford keeping himself in the media eye. If players had bet on their own teams to win, it wouldn't be a problem would it?
posted by Fat Buddha at 03:44 AM on July 08, 2006
That Rooney and Owen article is very telling. It seems that Rooney is pissed off at Owen for introducing him to the bookmaker, because of course that makes it Owen's fault that Rooney decided to bet 700,000 pounds on football matches with "those people"! Just like it's Christiano Ronaldo's fault that he stomped on a player's groin and got sent off during the World Cup. I wonder if he's ever felt compelled to accept responsibility for his own actions? Naaah, he's an EPL star. Rooney sounds like the biggest asshole east of the Atlantic.
posted by sic at 04:29 AM on July 08, 2006
Players betting on themselves and on their own teams is open enough here that I've heard it mentioned in commentaries several times. Now and then you'll hear the commentator say so-and-so told his team mates to have a bet on him scoring the first goal. English football isn't without its scandals though - the Grobelaar allegations for one.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 05:28 AM on July 08, 2006
Clifford isn't exactly giving away too many details is he? Media-hype to cash in with the horse-racing scam story?
posted by Fence at 06:41 AM on July 08, 2006
Rooney prolly had half a million on portugal to win it all
posted by skippy76 at 07:35 AM on July 08, 2006
If players had bet on their own teams to win, it wouldn't be a problem would it? This is the common argument people make about the Pete Rose ban. "Who cares if he bet on his own team?" It's simple. You are a bookie and you know that player A bets on his own team. He did it in game 1, he did it in game 2, but for some reason, he doesn't bet on his own team in game 3. What does that say about the player in game 3? That he doesn't intend to try? That he thinks his team is going to lose? What if word gets out that he didn't bet in game 3, and the team loses? Maybe it's a coincidence, or maybe something more sinister has occurred. Match fixing? Betting on the other team, but through a proxy and a different bookie? That's why you don't allow professional athletes to bet on the sport they participate in.
posted by grum@work at 10:45 AM on July 08, 2006
That's why you don't allow professional athletes to bet on the sport they participate in. Not to mention that if player A bets on his own team enough and gets in the hole he could be 'encouraged' to do things to get out of the hole.
posted by justgary at 11:03 AM on July 08, 2006
Not to mention that if player A bets on his own team enough and gets in the hole he could be 'encouraged' to do things to get out of the hole. Actually, I think these guys just make too much money nowadays for this to be a genuinely worrisome outcome. They'd have to be multiple millions down for the possibility to even rear it's head. That's not to suggest that they should be allowed to place bets on their sport - integrity is vital. But the days of players being owned by gambling rings I think are far gone. Unless we're talking about boxing.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:19 AM on July 08, 2006
If a player is secretly betting on his own team -- a bannable offense in many sports -- he also puts himself at risk of blackmail. The bookie could lean on him to throw a game.
posted by rcade at 12:25 PM on July 08, 2006
Actually, I think these guys just make too much money nowadays for this to be a genuinely worrisome outcome. They'd have to be multiple millions down for the possibility to even rear it's head. You mean, like this guy?
posted by grum@work at 02:09 PM on July 08, 2006
If a player is secretly betting on his own team -- a bannable offense in many sports -- he also puts himself at risk of blackmail. The bookie could lean on him to throw a game. And risk exposure? The player says no and the bookie leaks details of his operation and clientele to the media? Not exactly a well thought out blackmail plan. You mean, like this guy? Not sports betting, though. And it's all declared. Not a threat to throw a game. (And how could Darren McCarty throw a game?)
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 04:33 PM on July 08, 2006
The story was kinda rough around the edges. I would like to see which players were part of this scandal.
posted by redsoxrgay at 09:36 PM on July 08, 2006
Not sports betting, though. And it's all declared. Not a threat to throw a game No, but the reason I brought up McCarthy is that you thought it would be difficult for modern pro athletes with their large salaries to be worried about being in debt to a bookie. This time, it was just a casino (or 3), and it was a part-time player. Next time, it could very easily be a bookie and a superstar (ie: a goalie in hockey would be an easy person to "throw" a game).
posted by grum@work at 10:13 PM on July 08, 2006
A team I used to play for in Australia often appeared on the English football pools lists in the northern summer 'off season'. It did cross our minds (occasionally) to make some money out of it. However none of us ever had the funds and/or the real inclination to do anything. As the team and the othersin our league were basically run out of the back of a car, I sometimes wonder if anything did happen. Although football pools betting will not give you a great return, even if you can rig the games...
posted by owlhouse at 05:39 PM on July 13, 2006
Rooney and Owen?