Fixed matches in the Premier Leagues. Bets on fixed matches

Currently, the worldwide network is filled with offers for match-fixing. All kinds of resources offer almost every day to buy a fixed match from them. There is also free information, but it is very rare.

Fixed matches are those matches whose outcome is predetermined in advance, as a result of an agreement between the opponents. The agreement may be for a certain score or simply the victory of one of the teams. You can also agree to break the total in a duel. The contract occurs for the purpose of financial or tournament gain. For example, one team really needs a victory, but for the opponent the meeting essentially means nothing. The first team agrees with the second that it would rent the match for money, or a mutual favor in the next season. Bribery of a judge also occurs in modern sports.

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Fixed matches are contrary to the rules of wrestling and are strictly prosecuted by law. However, it is extremely difficult to identify such a match and prove that the fight was not a sports fight. Only occasionally does news appear in the press about the disclosure of such fights. And for the most part, these matches took place a very long time ago. Sometimes former players themselves admit that they have ever participated in this type of match.

How to buy a fixed match without being cheated?

It is almost impossible to find information about a real upcoming fixed match on the Internet. 99.9% of offers are without a doubt a scam. However, we cannot deny the fact that information about an upcoming unfair fight may be leaking out somewhere.

In no case is it recommended to buy match-fixing and “one-day” sites made on quick hand. This is 100% deception. If you decide to purchase such information, you need to turn to large sites. Required condition There should be a full refund in case of an error, as well as some kind of guarantee.

Fixed matches for free or why there are no fixed matches?

IN Lately People often search for information on match-fixing on the Internet. However, do such matches really exist? Of course, the fact of their presence is undeniable, but the possibility of information about them getting into worldwide network extremely doubtful. Match fixing is strictly prosecuted by law, and if it exists, the last thing its organizers want is for it to become public. So almost all offers for match-fixing, and especially free match-fixing, are nothing more than fraud. So you don’t need to be naive and hope that someone will offer you real information about such a match, especially for little money.

Who sells fixed matches? Where can I buy information on the agreement?

The Internet is replete with offers to sell information on match-fixing. People call themselves intermediaries and offer to buy information about this type of match for a fairly small amount. For the most part, this is simple deception. As a rule, such offers do not last long. Usually a person makes a good profit and after a month another goes into the shadows. The scheme of such fraud is very old, and there is no point in describing it in detail.

There are no fixed matches, but there are practical strategies for sports, one of them is the strategy of betting on yellow cards.

In fact, absolutely anyone who has at least a little understanding of mathematical statistics can make predictions on sure bets, and in this video I will tell you about one of the most common methods of cheating in match-fixing.
A user base is taken, this can be a (list of) e-mail addresses real people those interested in sports betting or just subscriber IDs thematic group at any social network(VK, classmates, Facebook, etc.)

At the zero stage, there is a screening of people who are not interested in agreements; as a rule, 90% of people are greedy for freebies and show interest in supposedly 100% successful forecasts.
At the first stage, one of the matches is selected, for which 3 different forecasts are made, for example: Victory of the first team, draw, victory of the second team. Then the previously selected user base is divided into 3 groups, each of which is sent only one forecast, the so-called agreement.

After the first match is played and everyone knows its result, at the end we get 3 groups, we sent an incorrect forecast to 2 groups and only for one group the forecast worked, we continue to work with it.

The second and subsequent stages are similar to the first.

As you can see, any person can be scammed using a similar scheme. A logical question arises: How can you avoid falling into the trap of scammers?

The recipe is simple and banal - don’t trust anyone. Remember, or better yet write it down, there are no fixed matches. You will never receive information about match-fixing. The person who has information about the agreements will never sell it to you; there is no point in selling such information, since it is easier to make money on the agreements yourself, without unnecessary risks.

Moreover, in the criminal code Russian Federation there is article number 184: “Exerting unlawful influence on the result of an official sports competition or spectacular commercial competition,” which threatens the organizers of agreements with a large fine and even imprisonment for up to 7 years.

I hope I have clearly explained the essence of so-called match-fixing and now you will not become a victim of scammers and scammers, because forewarned is forearmed.

Former Zenit striker Nikolai Usachev shared his memories of match-fixing in his career. We decided to remember everything loud confessions footballers past and present about strange matches.

Nikolay Usachev

“I was also amazed by the fixed matches. Once I went out, I remember, to play Kirov. I don’t remember with whom. And I, therefore, eager to show what I was capable of, ran, tore, threw! Then one of the players called: “Nikolai, we have Everything was agreed with them - no need to tear it up, throw it around" (laughs). They agreed, it turns out, to a draw. But it turned out that they scored a goal for us, we lost 0:1. Then they called me again: "Nikolai, get into the penalty area, you will be knocked down, and Yuri Zheludkov will score a penalty." I go, get into the penalty area, they knock me down, and Yuri Zheludkov will score a penalty! We played 1:1. But it was very unpleasant that this happened"

Anatoly Byshovets

“Unfortunately, I must admit that negative phenomena also took place in our team - Khimki. We even had to expel from the team several leading players involved in dishonest deals. This is not only my position, but also our common club position: the atmosphere in the team must be as clean as possible. However, corruption and bribery have always been, are and will be: I would say that they move from one quality to another. Disgusting? Of course! But nevertheless I will say: the predictability of matches in the first division is even higher than in the Premier League. We knew how some teams became national champions. And we played along with potentially top scorers quite typically."

(excerpt from the biography of Anatoly Byshovets)

Alexander Mostovoy

“If we talk about the ill-fated match between Terek and Krylya Sovetov, I didn’t watch it. But they told me a lot about it. I believe that match-fixing still exists in Russia. It’s not clear when they will end. Maybe will never end. It is necessary to fight this, as, for example, they fought and are fighting in Italy. Juventus was exiled to Serie B for such cases. We need to act with the same methods. Hire special people, detectives who will track such dark cases "

(excerpt from an interview with the federal sports television channel)

Valery Karpin

“Although everyone says that everything is fine in our championship and there are no fixed matches, let’s not deceive: the teams that solved their problems in advance engaged in submissions and fixed matches in the second round. All this is there. Does Sergei Fursenko think that this does not exist? "Sergei Fursenko thinks a lot. What I'm saying is that this formula insures us against such matches. There will be fewer of them."

Oleg Salenko

“I myself participated in match-fixing and I know how it’s done. The team that needs the points more asks them not to overdo it on the field. The players get the money, the opponent gets the result.”

(excerpt from an interview with Ukrainian TV)

Alexander Bubnov

“There is complete chaos going on in Russia, no one is afraid of anything. When Gadzhi Gadzhiev was removed from the post of head coach of Saturn, Yuri Sevidov and I invited him to a program on Russian Radio. I ask him: are there fixed games in our football? then all the experts unanimously deny this fact. He says bluntly: “Yes!” the specialist is indignant. “In the 90s, in the Russian Football Union (RFU), I remember, they conducted a survey among coaches regarding whether they played in our championship fixed games. Each of the coaches wrote: there are fixed games, but we don’t play them. Isn't it absurd? How do you like the case when coach Ovchinnikov from Nizhny Novgorod said that he gave, gives and will give to the judges?

Kazbek Tuaev

"In Russia, a lot of matches are sold. That's why I don't like Russian football, it gives off an unpleasant smell."

Yuri Belous

“I knew from circles close to the teams who would win the game between Terek and Krylya Sovetov. Everything else is another lesson for our football authorities. There were all the possibilities for preventive work. Fixed games kill the love of football. If only there was political will, everything could be resolved. On the other hand, football players take to the field. Responsibility cannot be removed from them either. Last year, when I no longer worked at FC Moscow, it was very good football players the club was offered to play for a fixed result. They refused."

(excerpt from an interview with Radio Mayak)

Anatoly Baidachny

“This topic was not raised at Dynamo Moscow. Never! Although Beskov grumbled that all Ukrainian clubs were going to Kiev on orders from above. At the end of the 70s, I also took part in such games. The first time was in 1976 -m. Minsk "Dynamo" one round before the finish lost its chances of staying in the major league. The second loser could be several clubs, including "Spartak" and "Chernomorets". We have the last match just in Odessa. The plan has matured: to lose - in order to get rid of "Spartak". We thought, maybe the national team won't be allowed to fly out? At the same time, they will leave Minsk."

Prepared by Valery KARAPETYAN.

Match fixing in sports continues to worry both experienced bettors and beginners. Some consider such bets to be unprofitable, while others consider them to be profitable investments.

The championships of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus are especially relevant. Competitions among youth clubs are of particular interest. In Ukraine, proceedings lasted for several years in a row with clubs that played fixed matches. Watching some fights, the thought crept in that you were not at a sporting event, but at some performance with bad actors. It's funny sometimes to watch the actions of the goalkeeper and players who want to concede a goal, expecting this from the opponent.

“Strange” games can be seen less often abroad, although it is no secret that this happens in the championships of Italy, Greece, and Germany sometimes.

It suffers from fixed games. Almost all team sports have “strange” teams. Sometimes it happens that entire championships are signed on paper in offices. For example, RHL is no longer interesting to watch. At the same time, the NHL remains the most unpredictable tournament.

Fast passage

The essence of fixed games

What is the point of a fixed match? Team 1 for a certain amount or service loses to the team 2 . This is the simplest agreement. There are also more complex methods, when scenarios are written out, what “feats” the players must perform at certain intervals. This could be an agreement on what score the game should end with, or how many penalties should be earned in a match.

Typically, such a sensitive issue is dealt with by presidents and other club leaders. Players do this less often. And they are doing the right thing, since such a secret conspiracy could cost them their careers. This will be the last fight as a professional. However, not all players in team 1 usually receive payment. It is enough to pay the coach, several key players, or, in extreme cases, the referee.

It is not always easy to determine that this is an agreement. If football players are good actors, they can play relatively honestly for 85 minutes of a match, and within 5 minutes they can make the necessary score. It is not necessary to look like clowns for the amusement of the fans. It must be taken into account that the game is not watched by fools, but by specialists who understand all the nuances of the game. Therefore, representatives of the top division usually play “smart” agreements.

Let's look at fixed games from the bookmakers' side. How do they behave in this case? For example, let's take a long-standing match between two southern clubs of the Russian Premier League, where all the factors of collusion are obvious.

On the first day of accepting bets on the home team, the odds were 1.75. This was a very good odds, since in this match team 1 needed victory to remain in the top league for the next season. Team 2 didn't care about the result. She successfully completed the main tournament tasks

After some time, the odds for the hosts drop to 1.4. Another 3 hours pass and it drops to a minimum of 1.22. In the end, team 1 won, as expected. The fans in the stands realized the outcome in the first 20 minutes. Many left this circus in the first half. The match was typically fixed and the sudden collapse once again confirms this. All these committees fair play and the Football Federation held meetings for formality, but it all ended as usual in Russian football - nothing.

You can give a lot of other examples without naming clubs. Fans will already understand very well who we are talking about. In one of the meetings, victory left the guests a chance to extend their registration in the major league next season. The home team found this game uninteresting.

Bookmakers immediately found information about the upcoming agreement. As a joke, they set the odds for the away team to win at 1.04. There was no need to watch the match; its outcome was known in advance. The guests won. There is no point in commenting here.

Most often, bookmakers are the first to know about fixed games. In such cases, they either do not include this match in the schedule, or, if the quotes have already been posted, they remove the fight from the line, indicating a suspicion that there is no fair fight between the opponents.

Here we can give an example of the relationship between Shakhtar and Mariupol, which was previously called Illichivets and Metallurg. In 35 matches between these clubs, the miners celebrated victories 33 times. Bookmakers accepted bets on Shakhtar's victory at odds of 1.03 or did not accept them at all. Shakhtar has a couple more such teams. And they all passed and are passing the games. All offices and many bettors know about this. The matches are just for show. Such clubs do not have the right to exist in pure championships. Otherwise, they simply generate points for the supposedly Ukrainian club Shakhtar.

Another way bookmakers hedge against strange games is through betting tricks. When under a contractual event it is written in small letters “for express only” or “ordinary, max. the rate is 1000 rubles.”

Forex bettors love fixed games. This love is explained by the fact that the reduction in odds for a strange event occurs in the first place.

Small firms that form their line by copying from well-known bookmakers usually do not have time to lower the odds in the same way as their elders. Their line remains unchanged. At this time, it is a profitable time for fork lovers. Advantageous offers are obtained if in one office the odds have dropped to 1.15, while in another it still remains at 1.7.

Information about fixed matches

It is clear that the number of agreements depends on the status of the tournament. The “richer” the competition, the fewer strange fights there are. About quantity similar meetings can be indirectly judged by the maximum bets on events. Bookmakers often set maximums of no more than 3,000 rubles for fights between regional teams. Moreover, one person is allowed to place no more than 1 bet. The teaching staff may also require a passport.

An idea of ​​how large the scale of “negotiations” are among amateurs and in the lower football leagues of Russia and Ukraine can be obtained by reading interviews with former players. Not everything said can be taken seriously. But real witnesses and participants in such games vividly describe the events that once took place.

The most important thing is that there were, are and will be agreements. The formula for the middle peasants 3-3 is still alive. This is when home games are won by the home team. This practice became even more popular when they started giving three points for a victory. Thus, the middle peasants were guaranteed to score the required number of points so as not to be relegated to the lower league.

Information about a potential agreement can be gleaned from the statistics of previous meetings. The technique is as follows. We take a team from the middle of the standings. We know that in terms of the level of players it does not compete for prizes. Let's see how she played with similar groups. We pay attention to the meetings of previous seasons.

It is important for us to find a pattern when there were victories at home in matches with some middle peasants and defeats against them on the road. If a similar trend has persisted for several seasons in a row, then with a high degree of probability the team will continue to play according to the same pattern in the next season.

Search for an agreement

The peak of fixed games occurs at the end of the championships. It’s clear why: some teams have completed their task or, on the contrary, have not fulfilled their task and they no longer need anything, while others are fighting for two things - either for prizes or for the right to remain in this division.

This is where the time for cash bonuses or exchange of services begins: like “we will give in to you now, and then you will give in to us.”

Rarely do agreements occur in the first rounds of the championship. If this happens, it means one of the teams is “settled” for the previous season.

The hardest thing about betting on sure bets is finding information about the upcoming game. Moreover, even if suitable data is discovered, you need to be sure that this information will actually be correct, and not taken from somewhere out of thin air.

Usually, information about an agreement leaks from people close to a particular team, coach, referee, or governing bodies. In this situation, such a leak of information will be considered a direct source of information, which makes no sense to doubt. Since the coach said it was an agreement, that means it is so.

There are rarer cases of information leaks, when some of the team's players are spotted at PPS offices, where they place bets against their team. In this case, it is only possible to conclude that the game is most likely purchased.

Lately there has been a feeling that almost everyone on the Internet has information about strange football games. Demand creates supply. The nuance is that the vast majority of such “informants” are scammers who make money from gullible users. It should be understood that information about fixed games is kept secret, and the person who has it most likely will not share it with anyone else (even for money).

If a person has accurate information about the dishonest nature of the upcoming game, why would he post messages on betting forums or even sell his information at “affordable prices”? Why is he wasting his precious time for dubious profits? There is no point in denying the fact that there are so-called “resellers” who first find out information about the fixed game, only for themselves. And then they resell it to their friends and others who want it.

It’s really enough to find such a person difficult task. For those who want to earn money the best option will find an already verified informant through his friends. So that a person who can be trusted already has some experience of communicating with the “informant” and can at least somehow characterize his work.

In this case, you will at least know who you are contacting. But if you don’t have such acquaintances, then all you have to do is test your informant. Whether he really has information about the agreements, or is simply leading everyone by the nose, is quite easy to determine.

To begin with, you can agree with him on 2-3 conditionally free bets. Then tell him that if all of them pass, then you will give the required amount. You can also say that write a review about the agreements and if its service proves itself with the best side, he will get good review, which will attract a lot of new customers. In any case, show your imagination, you need to get at least 3 free bets, which can be tested in the future.

Let’s assume that we managed to come to an agreement and received a match for betting. For example, this is a supposed agreement between teams A and B. Team A should win. The coefficient at the beginning is 1.75.

How to make sure that the game is negotiable?

A match-fixing game is significantly different from a regular game. Here are a few typical differences that you should pay close attention to ( this example reviewed at football match, but it can be used for other types of competitions).

• We monitor the bookmaker's line to detect a decrease in the odds, or record the withdrawal of a match from the line. If such a phenomenon occurs in at least several of the events proposed by the informant, then his information at the preliminary stage can be considered valuable.
• Most often in fixed matches, the losing team scores first.
• Particular attention to the score of the game. Usually the number of goals in a fixed game is significantly higher than in a regular match (although not always). Results such as 3-2; 4-3; 2-4 are quite common.
• You should pay attention to the behavior of captains on the field and key performers. In regular games, these players play hard and make partners. In fixed fights, they avoid martial arts and practically do not break the rules. They are extremely polite with the judge, which is very strange.
• Uninitiated players can give it their all, while those who are in the cold carry out their runs. The main thing for them is that the fight ends quickly and they receive the promised prize.
• Particular attention should be paid to the goalkeeper, coach and referee. If the goalkeeper is covered, then during the entire match he will hide from the ball and make ridiculous mistakes. The coach feigns excitement, but his behavior will not look natural. He already knows how everything should end and when the money will fall into the account. Therefore, he should not worry.
• The referee, who also has a share, is very strict with the team that is losing the game. When necessary, he will give a penalty. As much as his heart desires, he will award dangerous free kicks. Many players will be shown yellow cards. The Referee will try to make every effort to ensure the desired result, which was agreed upon in advance.

If information about fixed games was obtained from an informant, it is necessary to test all three bets. If there were coincidences with the signs of agreement described above, then you can very carefully start working with him.

If all three bets never showed signs of an agreement, and at the same time at least one lost, you immediately and without further explanation stop cooperating with this “expert”. You don't need him.

Force majeure in fixed matches

There have been enough examples in history when fixed matches broke down right during the game, someone gave more and events went according to a different scenario, or despite all the efforts of the athletes, it was still not possible to complete the task. It happens that the organizers, represented by the presidents and heads of clubs, give the all-clear to the players in the first 20 minutes, and they play honestly.

Similar numbers occur at the end of championships, when complex alignments form in the standings. The fate of the outsiders is decided in several matches, and then their outcomes can be written down on paper. It happens that in games an outsider takes points without problems in a relatively fair game, since the opponent has fielded a reserve squad. At this time, the negotiaters can take advantage of other clubs in order to get a profitable result for a third party.

A bettor who bets on an agreement should not take risks large sums. It is advisable that one bet does not exceed 30% of your bank. We should also not forget that the “informant” may be an ordinary dreamer.

As mentioned above, the end of the season is considered the fruitful period for contracting. Therefore, the main emphasis must be placed on the last quarter of the championships.

It must be taken into account that bets on fixed matches come in certain streams. If supplied large sum, then the coefficient immediately drops, other players begin to place even more bets. The coefficient falls even lower, and so on. The main thing is to have time to bet on an event when the odds have not yet dropped to very small, or until the moment when the office does not close betting on this fight at all.

In the new season, the RFPL will continue to cooperate with bookmakers, who will be called upon to inform the league about all suspicious trends and quotes. Dmitry Pavlovsky, one of the bookmakers’ project curators, spoke to SE about the joint work and the “early warning system.”

We have been cooperating with the most authoritative sports organization in our country for the fourth year now, and this is a great honor for us,” noted Pavlovsky. - From this season, as part of the official partnership with the Russian Premier League, our joint program will be broadcast on the “Our Football” TV channel almost before every round. The fan will be able to look at the tournament from a new angle.

- How else is such a partnership useful?

We hope to soon continue the practice of accepting bets directly at stadiums during matches in best traditions English bookmakers. This project has been developing for three years, but is now suspended due to some licensing reasons.

Our goal is to popularize domestic football. Think about it: the No. 1 sport accounts for 80 percent of all bets, but only a small part is for Russian competitions.

In 2013, the President of Russia signed a law on eliminating illegal influence on results sports matches. Taking our cooperation with the Premier League to a new level in this regard is very timely.

- What exactly is the advantage of the “strange match early warning system”?

We started developing this direction several years ago. This was made possible by technologies obtained from FIFA and UEFA. There, by the way, the system is given huge attention, because in the 21st century, sports and bookmaking have become even closer.

Actually early stage federations receive information from bookmakers and identify suspicious matches, can conduct internal investigations, and take action. The system was tested at major tournaments, we worked closely with the Sochi 2014 Olympic Committee, gained even more experience during the Brazilian World Cup, and continue regular consultations with FIFA and UEFA. And now we are ready to provide the RFPL with all our technical developments created over five years, with all the knowledge of our analysts.

- How do bookmakers understand that a particular match may be “unclean”?

The early warning system is not targeted. We don't sit and wait for something to happen. Daily painstaking work. Our company employees provide information to the Premier League for analysis on a daily basis. Experts jointly assess whether any trends are suspicious, or whether there is no manipulation, and this is just a coincidence. A dossier is maintained for each player, in which the nature of his play and other parameters are recorded, and the league studies each club, each coach, each referee. All this allows us to make our football cleaner, because dubious elements know that they are being watched. Every year there are fewer and fewer suspicions; this is an objective statistic.

- Can you give specific cases when the system worked?

A specific case is when the court makes a decision and calls the match fixed. This has happened a few times all over the world. We are talking about suspicions on the basis of which the work of the security services of the Russian Premier League and clubs is based. In Europe, a similar system is called the Betting Fraud Detection System (BFDS), and it cooperates with Interpol. FIFA operates the Early Warning System (EWS). But the essence is the same everywhere - the more attention is drawn to the problem from the sports community and law enforcement agencies, the cleaner the sport becomes.

- Do you not cooperate directly with law enforcement agencies?

No, only with the RFPL. This is the European experience. Bookmakers themselves do not work with the police. They analyze.

- Do matches in Russian football often raise suspicions?

At an early stage, in 2008, there were quite a lot of cases. But with the introduction of an early warning system, which is really effective, their number is falling literally before our eyes.

Investigation of our site. Dedicated to Natasha Kuznetsova

It's no secret that match-fixing is quite normal and natural for modern football phenomenon. It's like corruption - it will exist as long as football will exist. And it would be okay if everything happened only at the level of rumors - they say, Spartak lost to Zenit, the fans shouted for a couple of days that the match was bought, and after a week everything was forgotten. Keep your pocket wider. Today there are real organizations that monitor the organization of match fixing around the world. This is done according to the standard scheme: special agents sniff out information about the impending agreement, sell it for huge money in special offices, who, in turn, sell it to mere mortals, and also far from free. Mere mortals bet their hard-earned money and cause significant damage to bookmakers. This is the system.

Of course, such a business is built on great risk and huge money, but the fact remains that matches are fixed, and bookmakers go bankrupt. After all, in fact, everything is elementary - a millionaire pays for some match in the lower division, makes sure that the desired result is guaranteed, bets his considerable savings in a bookmaker's office, and... and that's it, there is no bookmaker's office.

At the beginning of this year, three large English publications - the Guardian, the Independent and the Financial Times - published a very interesting article entitled “Bookmakers are sounding the alarm,” which predicted the absolute collapse of bookmakers due to match-fixing. According to statistics, in Foggy Albion alone, 24 offices have gone bankrupt since January 1, 2008. This is approximately one office per week. In other words, every round of any English division entails the closure of one bookmaker's office. Only giants of this business like William hill or bwin. They are the ones who are sounding the alarm.

Yet again, interesting fact. Okay, if fixed matches were held only in the lower divisions of the same Russian championship, even I had to observe the organization of them. So, even in the homeland of football, match-ups are regularly played, not to mention Spain, Italy, Germany and other, less prestigious championships. Golden fever It even devours people like, dare I say it, the best goalkeeper of modern football, Gianluigi Buffon, who bet money on his own matches. The situation when, a couple of hours before the match, the website of one of the playing teams (I will not name their names, but anyone interested in Russian football will easily remember them) already indicates the score with which this match will end, few people are surprised. It gets to the point of absurdity - bookmakers almost every day have to ensure that information about agreements does not leak to the masses; and if it has already leaked, then in this case you have to simply remove this match from the betting. I don't think it makes sense to add anything to this.

To understand what is happening in the match-fixing kitchen, it is worth turning directly to these types of fights. Our editors managed to “solve” about thirty such cases only since January 1, 2008, that is, since the publication of that same ill-fated article, which caused an unprecedented stir throughout football world. In order to get at least an approximate picture of the organization of these fixed matches, let us turn to the most interesting and revealing of them.

January 27, Dutch championship, ordinary match between the teams “Twente” and “Sparta”. The so-called classic agreement from the point of view of motives. “Twente” is not a rich club, but at that time it occupied a good place in the standings. “Sparta” was hanging somewhere in the relegation zone, so the odds for its victory in this match were equal to 9. Having lost at home to the championship outsider, “Twente” lost three points, but earned a lot of money. By the way, this is one of the reasons for the inability of the middle peasants to compete with the giants - only when they find themselves at the top of the standings, teams like Twente are unable to cope with the temptation to earn huge money, and begin to lose matches. This is the so-called classical scheme.

If in the previous case a fixed match was organized solely on the initiative of one club, then there are often cases when teams agree together. Quite the contrary – this is what happens most often. For example, in early February, Rennes and Auxerre were supposed to meet as part of the French Championship. “Rennes” at that time occupied a strong place in the very middle of the table, and “Auxerre” was desperately saving itself from relegation to the lower league. It is worth noting that friendship has been established between the managements of these clubs for a long time, and therefore they constantly leak each other’s matches. This happened this time too - Rennes gave points to Auxerre on their field and helped avoid relegation to the lower division, while at the same time earning good money.

Now, as promised, England. Believe it or not, it was not just anyone but the most titled club in Albion, Liverpool, who was caught fixing a match! A very beautiful, “stylish” agreement. Liverpool, courageously fighting for a place in the top four of the Premier League, had to be distracted by the FA Cup, which took a lot of energy. The vast majority of giants in this case simply send youngsters to such matches and sooner or later fly out. But Rafa Benitez decided to do it much smarter. He not only agreed that he would leak this match to the little-known Barnsley - in addition to this, he also squeezed the maximum odds out of it. The first half was marked by a clear advantage for the Merseysiders, who took to the field with the strongest lineup. The score is 1:0 in their favor. In the second half, everything turns upside down - the Liverpool defenders literally bounce off the Barnsley attackers and allow them to score two goals against Reina. 2:1, Liverpool crashes out of the FA Cup, and earns a lot of money - the odds on Barnsley winning two goals back were 40.

On February 23, Defender of the Fatherland Day, an interesting agreement was organized in Croatia. It was organized by one person, and his name was Nikola Yurcevic. Jurcevic is an unquestioned authority and significant personality in Croatian football, so no one would even think of suspecting him of something dark. On that day, Jurcevic's Dinamo Zagreb, which had broken away from all its pursuers by more than ten points and practically secured gold medals, hosted Vartex, where Jurcevic spent almost his entire football career. “Vartex” was in penultimate place and risked being relegated from the tower. Yurcevic felt sorry for his home club, and he decided to help it with three points. He himself, in turn, made good money from this.

If match-fixing is overlooked by disciplinary committees throughout Europe, then what can we say about former countries CIS. In Ukraine, for example, agreements are played in almost every round. And, unlike in Europe, they play according to the classic scheme – 1:0. That is, for ninety minutes the teams are doing God knows what, somewhere in the middle of the match a ball flies into one of the goals, and that’s all over. This is what happened in the Ukrainian Championship match between Chernomorets and Neftyanik. Although here, perhaps, the residents of Odessa bought the match not so much for financial reasons as for football reasons - they desperately needed three points. “Neftyanik” by that time had firmly settled on the last line of the standings and did not miss the opportunity to make money from it.

The Polish championship is ruining bookmakers very noticeably. The championship, as you know, is weak - there are a couple of good teams, followed by unremarkable middling teams, and even lower - absolute outsiders. It is the middle peasants who benefit most from playing fixed matches - they do not compete for places in the European Cups, and they are not threatened with relegation either. Obsessed with these motives, fixed matches decided to organize “Rukh” and “Crown”... But, as practice shows, fixed matches tend to break down. According to the agreement, Rukh was supposed to win with a score of 1:0. At the beginning of the meeting, “Corona” concedes the goal, everything goes according to plan, but in the middle of the second half, the goalkeeper of this team makes a mistake and concedes the second goal. So this goalkeeper lost his place in the starting lineup, and “Rukh” and “Korona” were good money, since the coefficient was equal to seven.

But the most inconvenient championship for doing “shady deals” is the Bundesliga. The disciplinary committee of the German championship is very strict, so it is very, very difficult to organize match-fixing here. But, nevertheless, it is possible. In mid-March, Bayern Munich dared to do this when they went to visit the complete outsider of the championship, Cottbus. Ottmar Hitzfeld, then coach of the Munich team, decided to earn a little extra money before leaving his post. The coach, threatening to lose their place in the lineup, instructed the attackers not to score, and the defenders not to even approach the Cottbus forwards. 2:0, the absolute outsider of the championship beats the future champion, and Hitzfeld makes good money - the odds for such a victory for the hosts were equal to 11.

In Slovakia, the attention of the whole country is focused only on hockey, so playing match-fixing in the football championship is no problem. For example, many knowledgeable people made money from the match between the team from the last place, Trenčina, and a rather strong Nitra. Representatives of “Nitra” agreed with the opponent that the appearance of a struggle would be created on the field, goals would be scored to divert attention, but in the end the representative of the top part of the standings would win. No sooner said than done.

The main difference between our fixed matches and those in the West is that here most fixed matches end with a score of 1:0, and there the appearance of a struggle is necessarily created. Otherwise, sanctions from the disciplinary committee cannot be avoided. For example, the Spanish Segunda match between Numancia and Tarragona. The famous Luis Enrique, the coach of the latter, organized everything so clearly that there is nothing to complain about - an abundance of goals, cards and fights. And, most importantly, this did not in any way affect the final result.

In the first English league, otherwise known as the Championship, almost every team has a special agent or manager for organizing match-fixing. They look for “clients”, contact agents from other teams, make contacts with the disciplinary committee - in a word, they make sure that everything is in order. For example, the match between Swansea and Yehuvil was played according to this scheme. Theatrical performance, the score is 1:2 in favor of the weaker guests. Factor 11 worked.

But, of course, towers are towers, and the main breeding grounds for agreements are the lower divisions. Fast forward to the Swiss first division. "Bellizona", which is in first place and claims to enter the major league, went to visit Yverdon, which does not pursue any goals. The odds for the guests to win are not very high, but this did not stop the leaders of Bellizona. Iverdon players receive two monthly salaries for ninety minutes of acting on the field, the club management recaptures this money from the bookmakers, and the team scores another three points and is one step closer to the coveted major league. Good for everyone - such fixed matches are also very popular.

Or it happens like what happened in the Portuguese Championship in early May. “Porto”, which secured first place and was 21 points ahead of its closest pursuer, hosted the main outsider of the championship – “Nacional”. Naturally, the odds for the guests to win are simply crazy. So why doesn’t Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira send raw youth to the match, give three points to poor Nacional and earn a lot of money from it?

In general, fixed matches are most often played at the end of the championship, since many teams no longer pursue any goals. For example, in the penultimate round of the Turkish championship last year, Fenerbahce played at home with Trabzonspor. The latter desperately needed three points to qualify for the Intertoto Cup, while Fenerbahce, in any scenario of the last two matches, was in second place in the standings. The bookmakers did not take this into account and for some reason gave a high odds for Trabzonspor to win. The Fenerbahçe coach couldn't help but make a big deal of this - by the break the score was 0:2 in favor of the guests. During the break, Zico, the home team's coach, goes to the opponent's locker room and suggests finishing the match with this score and not allowing a defeat, so as not to attract the attention of the disciplinary committee. As a result, the third team of Fenerbahçe loses 0:2, Zico earns money, and Trabzonspor gets three important points.

A similar agreement was reached in the Bundesliga around the same time. Borussia, no longer aspiring to anything, hosted Wolfsburg, which was a few points short of the European Cup zone. Representatives of both teams knew that the match would end with a score of 2:4 in favor of the guests. The odds for such an event were equal to five - a good reason to replenish the club treasury with a couple of million euros.

A similar situation has developed in the Spanish Segunda. The second team of Sevilla - Sevilla B - took second place in the standings, but according to the regulations still could not reach the major league. Ironically, in the next round the team hosted Malaga, which was three points short of qualifying for promotion to Primera. Sevilla's reserves will lose the match for six points in next season's matches when Malaga reach the top table. That is, fixed matches are not always played just for money.

It happens that agreements are played and not at all for selfish purposes. For example, in the last Segunda round of last season, Celta hosted Tenerife. Each team needs one point to remain in the league. Naturally, the club's leaders agree on a draw - all of Spain knew about it. 2:2 and both teams remain in the Segunda. And, of course, the clubs did not miss the chance to make money.

The same Segunda tour. Elche plays Hercules. The teams are no longer fighting for anything in the standings, but a little money won’t hurt anyone. Therefore, by prior agreement, they staged a whole circus - a goal in the first minute, a goal in the second minute and eighty-eight minutes of terrible drudgery, which even bored the referee, who did not add a single minute to the second half. The leaders of both clubs bet on Elche to win in the first half and the match as a whole. The coefficient was equal to eight.

A lot of agreements are played in the Belarusian championship. For example, in early June, when all the attention of fans was paid to the European Championship, the management of Gomel decided to leak the home match of Zhodino Torpedo. Moreover, the Gomel residents made money not from bookmakers, but from special match-fixing agents - the club management received a lot of money for the sale of such valuable information.

Or, for example, the fight between MTZ-RIPO and BATE was very strange. The coach of MTZ-RIPO, a kind of football romantic, Anatoly Zygmantovich, realized that his physically weakened team was not able to cope with the Borisov club, which had gained momentum, even on its own field, so it was decided to cancel the match. Moreover, the coach decided not to brief the players on what was going on - he simply put six forwards, two midfielders and two defenders on the field. As a result, MTZ-RIPO scored three goals in the first half! True, I missed just as much. During the break, agents called Zygmantovich and told him to immediately stop this circus. The match ended in victory for BATE with a score of 4:3.

Fixed matches are played in almost every round of the first league of the Russian championship. For example, you can remember the match between Ural and Siberia. “Siberia” was losing match after match and was in terrible shape, while “Ural,” on the contrary, was tearing and throwing. Therefore, the best option in this case is to surrender the match. Representatives of “Sibir” agreed on everything with the opponent’s management and match-fixing agents. The match was played according to the classic one-goal scheme – 1:0. What’s interesting is that the bookmakers caught wind of everything a few hours before the fight and lowered the odds to the limit, but it was already too late.

It is considered very popular and profitable to rent friendly matches. Sometimes they are organized only for this purpose. For example, the management of Wolverhampton, which was suffering a financial crisis, decided to leak a friendly match to some weak team and make money from it. A club from the conference, Wrexham, was chosen as an opponent. The victory of the provincial club with a minimal score was quoted by bookmakers with odds of 11. Without losing absolutely anything and without risking anything, the management of Wolverhampton replenished the club treasury with several million pounds and bankrupted a couple of small bookmakers.

There is such a thing as the effect of surprise. If it was possible to predict many of the above-mentioned agreements, then no one could say that the two leaders of the Finnish championship - Tampere United and MyPa - would also want to play a fixed match in the middle of the season. Big bets on this fight were accepted with great enthusiasm. The bookmakers had no idea that the special agents had agreed that MyPa would beat Tampere with a minimal score. By the way, I took care of this Main coach losers.

Of course, not everything is clean in the Ukrainian Championship. From the recent one, you can recall the fixed match between Vorskla and Zarya. Everything is simple here - the managements of both teams are very friendly, and one constantly helps the other with points. This time it was agreed that the Poltava team would lose to the players from Lugansk with a minimal score. No sooner said than done.

Leeds United is simply drowning in match-fixing. In general, the team rarely plays matches honestly - it constantly buys and sells them. Leeds are trying to improve their dismal financial condition match-fixing, but only makes it worse due to terrible results. And so from season to season... But that’s another topic. One of these matches was the confrontation with Oldham. The Leeds boss assured the match-fixing agents that the match would be scrapped. By the way, he was not discharged according to the standard scheme, since the disciplinary committee has caught Leeds United doing such things more than once and is watching him especially closely. There were no goals in the first half, but in the second, Oldham scored two unanswered goals against the hosts.

At the end of August, the leaders of the Greek Olympiacos made money simply brilliantly. Moreover, they did this by beating the modest Asteras Tripolis, which occupies the penultimate place in the standings. Olympiacos, a multiple champion of Greece, would have beaten an outsider anyway, but decided to do it much more inventively. An ordinary victory for the red and white was estimated at a coefficient of only 1.5, while a strong-willed victory was worth ten times more. Therefore, Olipiacos lost the first half with a score of 1:0, and in the second half they sent three goals into the Asteras goal. And the wolves are fed, and the sheep are safe.

It is considered that the safest score in relation to the disciplinary committee is 2:1. Like, there was a struggle, but one of the teams still turned out to be a little stronger. And random victories most often end with such a universal score. This is exactly the score that the management of Carlisle and Southend agreed upon after playing a fixed match in early September of this year.

The last agreement we declassified was a match in the second English League between Dag and Red Time and Wycombe. Again, the classic scheme and the score is 2:1. Victory in the first half and throughout the match. Coefficient 5.2. Safe, reliable and profitable.

These are the pies. Football is football, and business is business. One thing is interesting. Who will be the first Russian club to decide to buy all the matches of the Russian Cup? next draw(~2 million euros), and then all the matches of the Europa League of the first season (~10 million euros), in order to recoup all costs in the 2010-11 season by directly qualifying for the group stage of the Champions League?