http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/sports/soccer/fixed-matches-cast-shadow-over-world-cup.html?_r=0
Match Fixing by
Referees
While most gambling in soccer is assumed to be from the
casual fan throwing money around at different teams competing, there is a darker
side to betting: match fixing. Specifically match fixing by soccer referees. The
article describes how there was speculation that match fixing by referees was
running rampant heading into the World Cup in Brazil. The number of referees
approached to fix games that didn’t follow through was even higher. If one
thinks logically, then they would assume that this is not a problem that has
suddenly appeared; It is obviously something that has happened for years. Clearly,
it isn’t fair for a referee to have the power to purposely change the outcomes
of matches, but how do you stop it? There is little to no oversight on referee
interactions prior to games, as the article mentions. However, we don’t want to
watch soccer assuming every missed call/bad call is a result of a corrupt
referee. So the question is, do you think there is a better way to monitor
referee match fixing in soccer?
-
Cameron Price
Cameron Price
The biggest way for refs to fix a match, and commonly happens, is giving a defender or defensive midfield an early yellow. How can you tell the difference between a fair yellow and a fixed yellow card. The best way to monitor refs is by making more solid rules on places that are left up to a lot of interpretation by one man, but the issue is potentially slowing down the game, which is not worth it.
ReplyDeleteTyler,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tyler that more solid rules are very important. One way to stop the early yellow would be one challenge on a card by the coach. If a coach believes that a call is obviously wrong, he can challenge one call a game, which would be sent to a booth of referees to review. Although this might slow down the pace of the game, I believe that this would be a way to enforce that there is no match fixing. Many people would oppose this rule, but I believe having only one challenge would not slow down the game.
- Justin Conway
I think that FIFA has already begun to attempt to combat this issue by adding more referees to the team. Most teams consist of five referees. If a referee were to be bribed in any way to throw a match, there would be at least four other referees there able to combat the call. The center ref is obviously the most important as his decision is final, but he usually will reconsider the call if other referees disagree.
ReplyDelete-Colin Zaccagnio
These speculations in my opinion somewhat ruin the true validity of competition these days. Referees in any sport are very well trained and for every bad call they make, there are five amazing ones that occurred before. Whether it is marking the spot in an american football game, or determining who touched the ball last in a soccer match, referees clearly try their hardest and I believe match fixing is very minor. People believing it does occur causes fans to blame the refs too much when their teams lose, yet when they win the judges are not in the conversation. Something needs to be done about this once and for all.
ReplyDeleteIt is no doubt that match-fixing must be prevented in order to safeguard the integrity of sport. Effective action against match-fixing is difficult for the reasons Tyler mentioned, but also because it requires concerted efforts by the sporting community, betting companies, the betting authorities, and the public authorities in general. Without a major case of match-fixing in football, I think a concerted effort between all these parties is pretty unlikely.
ReplyDelete