FIFA already has its hands full as we pass the two-week mark until kickoff in Sao Paulo between Brazil and Croatia. Preparations are in overdrive mode, as three stadiums are still a cause for concern for the football's governing body. Now FIFA and head of security Ralf Mutschke have to deal with the ramifications of a rumor that the Nigeria-Scotland warmup match was fixed, bringing worry to this year's World Cup.
You be the judge of the incident that occurred. In particular, a late goal that was an own goal scored by Nigeria can be seen here at the :20 mark.
Match fixing? What match fixing? RT “@jj2388: Well this isn’t suspicious. #Nigeria #Scotland #MatchFixing https://t.co/KtGHtNExmd”
— Wright Thompson (@wrightthompson) May 29, 2014
It looks like both goals could be flagged as fixing or just honest mistakes, but either way FIFA has to handle this and implications for future matches with urgency. Mutschke has said the following is true regarding the upcoming World Cup when it comes to matches in danger of being fixed.
Certain teams and groups have already been identified as vulnerable to fixers
The last round of group matches, involving teams with nothing to play for, are most in danger
Warm-up games are also under threat
Fixers have already approached players and referees
The fix of choice will focus on the number of goals in a match
Unfortunately, match fixing isn’t unknown in soccer - especially at the lower levels where players don’t have as much to lose and are given offers they can’t refuse.
"We are not expecting fixers to be traveling to Brazil and knocking on the hotel door of players or referees, but I know there will have been approaches to players and referees," Mutschke said.
One area of major concern is gamblers betting on how many goals will be scored in a game, betting higher or lower on 1.5, 2.5 and so on. Mutschke said match results are harder to organize because you need more players in on it.
The referees that will be in Brazil had a training session in Zurich in late March and said FIFA will meet with them prior to kickoff in Rio.
Mutschke has said, "We'll establish reporting channels for athletes and officials. We'll also be bringing an integrity manager who will coordinate those measures with Fifa's Early Warning System (EWS), which monitors betting patterns."
The World Cup is always an event that is widely bet upon and this year is no different. According to BBC, the Asian betting market could see up to $1 billion per match, while the regulated United Kingdom expects close to £1 billion for the whole tournament, both of which are records.
It’s everyone’s nightmare to see a match ruined by a referee or a player, but it seems FIFA has a better handle on this matter than some other issues present at the World Cup, which is comforting.
