Fixed: The bombshell that will continue to rock football

How many people in football can be swayed by a certain amount of this?

World football was rocked by the news this week from Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, of a match-fixing scandal on an unprecedented scale. Whereas previous match-fixing scandals have appeared far away from the average English football fan, this one is much closer to home with World Cup qualifiers and even a Champions League match staged in England implemented in the ongoing investigation.But this revelation has been on the cards for a long time and the difficulties of tackling the issue will be in the news for many a month to come.

Well documented cases of match-fixing in European football include that of Bernard Tapie's Marseille - conquerors of the inaugural Champions League in 1993 yet who were stripped of their French title that same year, and the Calciopoli scandal which engulfed Italian football in 2006. This latest controversy puts both of those footballing disasters into perspective as a staggering 425 players and officials from over 15 countries are under suspicion. However, those who follow European football have been aware of this ticking time-bomb for some time.

Back in 2009, a match-fixing ring based in Asia was exposed after fixing or trying to fix up to 200 matches across Europe. Andreas Bachmann, based in Bochum, Germany, lead the police investigation and 14 people were convicted, ending up with combined prison sentences of 39 years. It is the result of further investigation into this that this week's announcement was made. More arrests are expected to be made as the investigation continues into the ring, which is apparently based in Singapore but with facilitators across Europe and beyond. While 380 European matches are under investigation, a further 300 from Africa, Asia, South America and Central America are also under the spotlight. 

With a huge world-wide betting market these days, including countless methods of betting in-play on relatively minor incidents such as yellow cards and corners, it is possible to envisage how money can be made from afar by these criminal networks. As thousands of people bet on all sorts of outcomes, it can be difficult to spot suspicious betting patterns, and this explains why the investigation has been running for so long to bring these criminals to justice.

Many think the Premier League is safe due to players being on high wages and the intense media scrutiny which covers every minute of every game. Yet it is a game staged at Anfield between Liverpool and Debrecen in 2009 which is reported to be the English-staged Champions League game under investigation, and that is the home of one of the most scrutinised football clubs in the world. While top class players, earning up to £250,000 a week, may be difficult to bribe, those at the lower end of the wage bill, plus match officials could be susceptible to financial offers.

One only has to look at Italy, where in 2012, the undoubtedly well-paid Lazio captain Stefano Mauri was arrested as part of a match-fixing scandal and Juventus manager Antonio Conte was given a lengthy touchline ban for failing to report match-fixing while at a previous club, to see that the highest level of football can certainly be affected by these criminal syndicates. The fixers have reportedly made a profit of €8m and with individual payments of up to €140,000 to corrupt players or officials, it is easy to see how the weak-minded and greedy may be tempted to turn their back on the morals of fair play in football.

Today Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballer's Association, put his neck on the line by claiming the Premier League is free of match-fixing and he may well be right. But how many lower league players could be tempted by the thought of earning tens of thousands of pounds just by conceding a yellow card or making a sloppy defensive error? Taylor admits the PFA, through FifPRO, the international players' union, work with betting companies to ensure action can be taken over every any irregular betting patterns. Allied with the fact the Premier League are pushing the Government and  European Union to make bookmakers pay them a compulsory fee which would go towards betting integrity measures, it is clear England's footballing authorities are well aware of the serious danger of match-fixing.

Spanish football may be particularly vulnerable to financial incentives. Outside the skewed, Hollywood world of Real Madrid and Barcelona, many clubs are in major financial difficulties and struggling to pay wages on time. Malaga, through to this year's Champions League knockout phase, are banned from next year's competition due to unpaid bills. In July, the club were in trouble for not paying the squad 40% of the previous season's wages. The financial situation in many other European leagues is similar, and with English clubs coming up against teams from these leagues regularly in continental competition, ensuring the Premier League remains free of match-fixing could be a perilous task.

UEFA and FIFA were not informed by Europol before Monday's announcement but are set to be consulted before they take their own action. But FIFA's head of security Ralf Mutschke insists a law-change is needed to make sure fixers are imprisoned for longer when caught. His point is a valid one, as while FIFA can ban players and officials involved in fixing for life, a sizeable punishment for a professional, the ring-leaders of the syndicates are not necessarily employed within football. Therefore, unless there is the strong deterrent of a major prison sentence, the vast financial incentive will continue to convince criminals to try and profit from the world's most popular sport. With the huge numbers involved, it's going to take a long time before the full implications of this scandal are felt and a lot longer before justice is brought to those involved. For the sake of fans across the world, we can only hope that justice is brought at all.

England, Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur: My dashed wishes for 2012

This time last year I wrote a blog with a ten point wishlist for 2012. So 12 months on, it makes sense to look back on these wishes (note: not predictions) and reflect upon what has been a remarkable year for football.

1, What I wished for: England showing up for a major tournament

Captain Gerrard comforts winger Young after his Euro 2012 penalty miss

Did it happen? No.

With a new manager at the helm, nobody was quite sure how England would perform at Euro 2012 but in the end it turned out to be all too familiar. A sixth penalty shoot-out exit in ten major tournaments was the bottom line after Roy Hodgson's team had toiled through the group stages. An exciting 3-2 victory over Sweden proved to be the highlight for the Three Lions, sandwiched between a somewhat fortunate 1-0 win over Ukraine and a 1-1 draw with France which appeared much less impressive once it emerged how poor the French team really were. In the quarter-final itself, England could count themselves lucky to even reach the penalty shoot-out as Andrea Pirlo orchestrated an Italian team on course to reach the final. The Azzurri had 31 shots to England's eight and thoroughly deserved to progress. It wasn't all doom and gloom as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck emerged on the international scene and captain Steven Gerrard showed he could still perform at 32. But England still have a long way to go to make an impact on a major tournament, and I won't be holding my breath for anything different in Brazil 2014. Should they make it...

2, What I wished for: Barcelona retaining the Champions League title

Messi had a magnificent 2012 but couldn't get the better of Lampard's Chelsea

Did it happen? No.

2012 has been a strange year for the Catalan giants. Still revered as the best club team in Europe, they were pipped to the league title by Real Madrid and knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-finals by Chelsea. Lionel Messi has torn up the record books, with 91 goals for club and country, but Pep Guardiola departed citing the pressures of the job as his reason to take a sabbatical in New York. Sadly the year has ended with his replacement, Tito Vilanova, requiring chemotherapy treatment for cancer in his saliva glands and facing a spell away from the dugout. Yet his club are in a fantastic position, nine points clear of Atletico Madrid and 16 clear of Real having only dropped two points so far this campaign. They also won their Champions League group and face a winnable tie against a sub-standard AC Milan side in the last 16. The Blaugrana might not have retained the crown they won in 2011 but they could well reclaim it this May.

3, What I wished for: Tottenham qualifying for the Champions League at the expense of one of the old 'Big Four'

Redknapp made the top four but bade farewell to White Hart Lane after Chelsea's European triumph

Did it happen? Yes....but no.

Harry Redknapp's Spurs survived a late season wobble to clinch fourth place at the expense of Chelsea, who finish sixth. But the Blues had the last laugh by winning the 2011/12 competition, thus usurping Tottenham to qualify for this season's edition, and leaving the White Hart Lane outfit to toil in the Europa League. This harshest of blows proved the end for Redknapp at Spurs and, having surprisingly missed out on the England job, he now finds himself embroiled in a relegation scrap at the helm of Queens Park Rangers. Spurs look revitalised under Andre Villas-Boas, who may well guide them to the top four again this season but if the Portuguese hadn't been sacked by Chelsea and replaced by eventual European champion Roberto Di Matteo, then maybe Spurs would be competing in Europe's premier competition this season under Redknapp. A strange thought indeed.

4, What I wished for: Wayne Rooney playing consistently

Rooney has had a mixed 2012 for club and country

Did it happen? Infuriatingly, no.

Wayne Rooney is one of the great enigmas of British football. He finished last season with 27 league goals, his best ever tally, yet flattered to deceive on many occasions. In one fixture with Aston Villa late last campaign, Rooney scored a brace yet misplaced passes and showed terrible ball control all match long. In Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Swansea City earlier this month he put in a terrible performance which resulted in his substitution. Rooney continues to blow hot and cold, at times looking omnipotent operating behind new strike partner Robin van Persie and at others looking a shadow of the energetic talent who lit up Euro 2004 and scored a hat-trick on his Champions League debut against Fenerbahce. It is this baffling inconsistency that continues to keep Rooney in the bracket of players well behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and even some distance behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Falcao and his new team-mate van Persie. 

5, What I wished for: A universally popular manager replacing Fabio Capello

Hodgson was the surprise choice to replace the Italian Capello

Did it happen? No, but only because he's not Harry Redknapp.

When I blogged a year ago, it was anticipated that Capello would be stepping down after Euro 2012. Little did I realise that he would walk out of his job well before the tournament began. The FA took their time in naming a replacement, and during that time the world seemed to make up its mind that Redknapp was a shoo-in for the position. In the end, Roy Hodgson was given one of the toughest tasks in football. Hodgson is a very popular manager, and respected worldwide for his achievements with the likes of Switzerland, Finland and Internazionale, but perhaps due to the clamour for Redknapp, he was not quite the universally popular figure I had hoped would be put in place and #HodgsonOut was trending on Twitter within minutes of his first squad announcement. Nonetheless, the former Fulham, Liverpool and West Brom boss has done a fairly good job in his first few months with the Three Lions. Having said that, draws with Ukraine and Poland in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers mean he has a huge challenge over the next year and a win in March's qualifer away to group leaders Montenegro is a must.

6, What I wished for: Club owners to stop raising ticket prices

 

Punters are still willing to fork out their hard earned cash for these

Did it happen? Emphatically no.

In October, the BBC's Price of Football Survey revealed that not only had ticket prices in the top four divisions continued to increase, but the cheapest had gone up by 11.7% in the past year, more than five times the rate of inflation. Absurdly, season tickets at Arsenal can cost as much as £1,955 and the cheapest available matchday ticket at Chelsea is £41. But by-and-large attendances are still high and as long as the punters are willing to stump up the cash, the owners will continue hiking up the prices. The rest of the world suffers financially as the effects of the recession continue to be felt, but football is still trapped in its distorted bubble of £50m strikers, £250,000 weekly salaries and stratospheric television deals. Will it ever come out of it? Not any time soon.

7, What I wished for: Manchester City to fail for at least one more year

Captain Kompany and manager Mancini were both integral to City's success

Did it happen? Not in the Premier League, but in Europe...

Roberto Mancini's team were incredible in claiming their maiden Premier League title last season with Sergio Aguero's title-clinching goal set to live long in the memory of all football fans. This showed that money can buy you success, but in Europe, the Citizens still have a long way to go to make their mark. A second consecutive Champions League group stage exit, this time with an abysmal record of no victories, sees the pressure mount on the Italian manager. The club have struggled to maintain the aura of champions and are yet to hit top gear in the Premier League this season, currently trailing leaders Manchester United by seven points. There is a long way to go but Mancini certainly has his work cut out. Sheikh Mansour is yet to reveal his attitude towards managerial dismissals, having stood by the former Internazionale, Lazio and Fiorentina boss since he became his first appointment in 2009. But if other rich owners are anything to go by, further success will have to come soon if Mancini wants the chance to build a dynasty at City to rival that across town of Sir Alex Ferguson.

8, What I wished for: No more stories of racism in football

John Terry was found guilty by the FA almost a year after the incident

Did it happen? No, but perhaps things aren't as bad as they seem.

The John Terry saga ran for so long it does seem like there have been plenty of racism in  English football stories running all year, but in reality that is not true. The odd fan has been caught and punished, and there are no excuses for some disgraceful behaviour, but there have been no more players accused of the offence all year long. Allegations made against referee Mark Clattenburg by Chelsea's Ramires and John Obi Mikel proved unfounded and the reaction from England to the racist chanting of Serbian fans in an Under-21 clash this year showed that the country is moving forward to fight against racism. As Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany recently said: "The fact people talk about it is a reflection that this country is a lot more evolved than other countries. England is a lot further than people might make out it might be." Terry was, admittedly leniently, punished, and it is clear that there is no place for racism in the game.  In other parts of the world there is some way to go, as the Serbs exemplified, but in England things are moving in the right direction.

9, What I wished for: Sepp Blatter to be ousted from FIFA

Football's two biggest power-brokers are the centre of much debate

Did it happen? Of course not!

Blatter was always going to remain in charge of world football for this calendar year, and will probably do so until the end of his term in 2015. He arguably took a step forward with the introduction of goal-line technology, which debuted (almost unnoticed) at this year's Club World Cup. But the man tipped as favourite to replace the Swiss at top dog of FIFA is current UEFA president Michel Platini, and the Frenchman has taken more of the headlines this year. Strongly opposed to technology of any kind, Platini is still advocating the pointless system of additional referees, where two more officials stand behind each goal. His idea to stage Euro 2020 across the whole continent has also divided opinion with many fearing that the tournament atmosphere will be completely ruined. The former Juventus star's brainchild of Financial Fair Play will soon kick-in and the success of that may affect his chances of the FIFA presidency. Either way, the bizarre actions of the bureaucrats of football are here to stay.

10, What I wished for: Wigan Athletic to be relegated and replaced by a club that can fill their stadium

Roberto Martinez has done a great job at the DW Stadium

Did it happen? No, and I'm glad it didn't.

Over the past year, I've changed my mind about Wigan Athletic completely. Yes, it still infuriates me to see thousands of empty seats at every single home game but at the end of the day, that isn't the most important thing. Nor is it the fault of the manager and the players. In Roberto Martinez, the Latics have a gem of a manager and his attitude and tactical success make him one of the most likeable men in football. Pioneering a back three, Martinez's team played some champagne football, winning at Anfield and the Emirates Stadium, beating Manchester United 1-0 at home, and memorably thrashing high-flyers Newcastle United 4-0 in an incredible run of late-season form. In the summer they sold star man Victor Moses but replaced him wisely with Arouna Kone. Again tipped to go down by many, the club are currently outside the relegation places, and with the knowledge that they've done it before, James McCarthy and co can feel confident heading into the new year. Good luck to them.


To summarise, not a lot of what I wished for came to fruition at all. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a fantastic year of football. With new names dramatically appearing on the Champions League and Premier League trophies, and the likes of Lionel Messi, Robin van Persie and Falcao in dazzling form, 2012 has been a year to remember. 2013 has a lot to live up to.

Olympics show women's football is ready to shine

Wembley has played host to many Olympic football games this tournament

In the past few days I have had the privilege of visiting Wembley Stadium twice to watch Olympic football matches. On Saturday I was present to witness Mexico's entertaining 4-2 extra time victory over Senegal in the quarter-finals of the men's tournament, while yesterday I returned to observe Japan's 2-1 win over France in the semi-finals of the women's tournament. Despite there being more goals in the former game, I must say that the latter was vastly more entertaining particularly in a second half in which the French took the game to Japan, the reigning world champions, and could count themselves highly unlucky not to at least earn extra time. In fact the match was an incredible advertisement for the women's game and one which has led me to draw the conclusion that it is high time women's football was treated with more respect and given much more attention in the media.

Japan's women will look to add Olympic gold to their world title this week

In my experience with sports journalism, I have researched and written the odd feature for my old student newspaper on women in football, but had only reported on a couple of women's matches at university level. In these games I saw much skill and entertaining football but some of the excellent technique and quality of play shown at Wembley yesterday, in what was the first high level women's football game I had attended, provided a spectacle which is on a par with the many men's games I have been to in the past. Admittedly there are a couple of aspects of on-field play in which the women’s game is behind the men’s. Most noticeably the goalkeepers seem to struggle more even at such a high level and are less dominant in the penalty area. As well as this, they seem less capable of performing the long goal kicks which have become commonplace in the men’s game, instead preferring to play short passes almost all of the time. That though, can be seen as a good thing as it encourages attractive played-on-the-floor football. In fact with the tiki-taka style of football played by fantastic men’s teams like Barcelona and Spain, this is something which is often encouraged.

Elodie Thomis impressed playing out wide for France

Goalkeeping faults aside, the technical ability possessed by many women’s players is truly of the highest quality. I have previously observed a couple of 30-yard screamers at university level and on the pitch in the Olympic semi-final there were some fantastic skills on display. France’s speedy winger Elodie Thomis showed incisive play which would put several members of the the French men’s team to shame after their Euro 2012 shambles. The 25-year-old was not the only player on her team with skills and the forward Louisa Necib pulled off an incredible turn, worthy of Andres Iniesta, in the second half and unleashed a dipping shot which was not quite good enough to beat the Japanese ‘keeper. Yuki Ogimi and Mizuho Sakaguchi’s goals for the Asian nation both came from well executed set plays, showing that the female game has mastery of a skill which is often lacking in the men’s game – the delivery of accurate free kicks. Another accusation often levelled at women’s football is a lack of pace, but this was completely not evident from the Japan vs France game where a lot the Japanese players and notably Thomis, amongst others, on the French side had pace to burn. In fact there was little aesthetically different about the speed and precision of the game compared to the men’s game. Another observation was the apparent flexibility of formations with midfielders drifting forward to support the strikers and full-backs also pushing up regularly, a far cry from the rigid systems which often appear in the men’s game, notably with England’s national team.

The flags of all the nations competing in football are displayed beneath the Olympic rings

The Olympic football tournament on the whole is a different experience to regular matches with more of a family or carnival atmosphere. The increased presence of the somewhat irritiating Mexican waves is proof of this but whereas this can belittle the men’s tournament in the eyes of some, the Olympic crowds are actually an improvement compared to the usual levels of interest in women’s football. The Mexico-Senegal men’s quarter final was a sell-out in a 90,000 seater stadium yet only 61,482 turned up for the women’s semi final. But compared to a normal Women’s Super League game (only 4,500 capacity at the champions home stadiun), or even the 2011 Women’s Champions League final (14,000) or 2011 Women’s World Cup semi-final (25,000) attendance this is actually an improvement. On top of this, whereas the men's tournament is under-23 only, bar three overage players, there are no age restrictions for women, increasing the quality of the tournament. The women’s game is getting some of the attention it deserves thanks to it's role in the Olympics, which it has only been included in since 1996.

Mexico's Giovani dos Santos (green no.10) starred at Wembley on Saturday

Some farcical news which appeared this week was the fact that the Japanese men’s team were given business-class flights by their football association yet the women, despite being world champions, were only provided with economic class flights. This blatantly unfair display of favouritism is something that should surely be eradicated from sport and athletes of both genders should be treated equally. At the end of day, women’s football is just as good a spectacle as the men's game which can even rake in large crowds at very low levels. The time has come where women’s football should no longer be derided and people should watch it whenever possible. They won’t be disappointed. And in an era where Arsenal are charging over £100 for some non-executive tickets to their stadium, the fact it is a whole lot cheaper to get in is a fantastic additional bonus. The more people that support it, the quicker it will develop, and eventually it might just come close to enjoying the attention which the men's game will surely always receive.

This article originally appeared on James Phillips's Olympics blog tsfe2012.blogspot.com

Captains, coaches and media make a Messi of it

Lionel Messi is the best player in the world right now. Not many people, Cristiano Ronaldo fan club aside, would argue with that. 60 goals for club and country in 2010 including twelve braces, five hat-tricks and a memorable quadruple against Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final says more than enough. His control on the ball, pace, passing, movement and all-round ability is second to none. But he should not have won the 2010 FIFA Ballon D'or award.

Why on earth not, you may ask? Well, because the award (slightly rehashed this year to merge the long-running Ballon D'or with FIFA's own World Player of the Year award) is meant to commemorate the footballing year. It is the player of the year 2010 who should have received the accolade. And what are the most important and memorable footballing moments of a calendar year? Each country has their own individual leagues and cups of course, but worldwide it is the UEFA Champions League that is best remembered. And of course, once every four years, 2010 being one of them, there is the small matter of the World Cup. These are the tournaments that stick in the worldwide footballing conscience for years.

Cast your mind back to 2002. The original Ronaldo led Brazil to World Cup triumph and rightfully claimed the personal honour for himself. Zinedine Zidane scored that wonder-volley at Hampden Park to land Real Madrid their ninth European Cup as well. These things stick in the memory. 2006? Fabio Cannavaro led Italy to World Cup glory and claimed the award. 2008? Cristiano Ronaldo had his incredible 42-goal season at Manchester United as they claimed the Champions League title, again he correctly won the award. 2009? Messi was the key figure as Barcelona won no fewer than six trophies, and the Argentine netted in both the Champions League and World Club Cup finals. He rightfully claimed the award.

But this year, where was Messi when Jose Mourinho's Internazionale shut up shop at the Nou Camp to prevent the Blaugrana from going through to the Champions League final? Where was Messi when Argentina were crushed 4-0 by Joachim Lowe's effervescent young Germany team in the World Cup quarter-final? As incredible as he is, the diminutive no.10 didn't quite do the business in the two tournaments that really mattered last year.

So who did deserve to win it? Well, the other two contenders in the final shortlist of three, Messi's clubmates Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta both could have a better claim. Always mentioned together due to their similar playing style and near-telepathic communication on the pitch, the Catalan duo were integral to Spain's first ever World Cup triumph, passing every team in the tournament to death with Iniesta smashing home the winner deep into extra time of the final. They have also contributed to Barcelona's success at league level, and while they play a different role to Messi, their passing, movement and creativity is just as integral to Barca as Messi's goals are. When people think back to 2010 in a few years time, they will remember Xavi and Iniesta's World Cup magnificence more than Messi's failure to score at all in South Africa.

Personally, I feel there are two other candidates even more worthy than any of the Barcelona trio who were in the running. And don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of Barcelona, I'm sat in my room with a Xavi Hernandez poster and a diagram/article of Barcelona's formation featuring all three of the players in question on the wall next to me! But both Wesley Sneijder and Diego Milito should have been in the running for the award. The UEFA Champions League is the ultimate tournament in world football today. It takes thirteen games to win it, as opposed to the seven of the World Cup, and on the whole, the quality of football is undoubtedly much higher. Milito scored the goals that won Inter the final at the Bernabeu in May. Not only that but he scored the clinching goals in Serie A and the Coppa Italia as Mourinho's team claimed an unprecedented title. He should surely have been in the running, and at least in FIFA's World XI of the year. But no, not a single international captain, coach or media representative gave the Argentine striker a vote.

The bigger case still rests with Sneijder. The Dutch maestro did get some votes, notably from England captain Rio Ferdinand and Italy coach Cesare Prandelli, but not enough to make the final three. Yet it was he who was the key player, the trequartista that opened up defences across the continent to deliver the Nerazzurri's first European title since 1965. Not only that but he led a Holland team, scarcely fancied at the start of the World Cup, to the final itself, scoring five goals along the way and playing with a real verve and swagger not seen in many other players today. They lost the final, and the team's dirty tactics gave them a bad name, but Sneijder could not be blamed for that. The combination of star player in Inter's treble and leading Holland to their first World Cup final since the 1970s should surely have been enough to make him the player of 2010. Or at least make the final three.

Hats off to Lionel Messi, he is a true footballing genius and will hopefully be around winning trophies for many years to come. But when I think back to 2010 a few years down the line, and I'm sure I won't be alone, it will be the flying Dutchman, Wesley Sneijder, and his star role in both Champions League and World Cup that will stick in my memory.