Europe rocked by fresh match-fixing scandal

November 20, 2009


European football braced on Friday for more details on a fresh match-fixing scandal reportedly involving huge sums of money placed with Asian bookmakers on suspect matches in nine countries.

Police across Europe carried out raids and arrests on Thursday, with German prosecutors suspecting that players, coaches, referees and officials from high-ranking European football had been offered bribes to throw games.

According to press reports, 15 people were arrested in at least six European countries, with around 100 suspects in total, with matches in Turkey the main focus of investigation.

Prosecutors, who have been working in tandem with European football’s ruling body UEFA, were due to reveal more details at a news conference in the western German city of Bochum at 2:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Friday.

The Berliner Morgenpost daily cited one unnamed top investigator as saying the probe could result in “one of the biggest scandals in the history of professional football.

“This earthquake will shake the credibility of the sport for a long time,” the paper quoted the investigator as saying.

According to information from AFP subsidiary SID, matches in at least nine European leagues were being investigated for signs that they had been manipulated.

These included matches played in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey, SID reported.

Harald Stenger, a spokesman for the German Football Federation (DFB), said: “As far as the DFB knows, no German matches are affected.”

But the German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported that one of the games being scrutinised was a friendly between German side SSV Ulm against Fenerbahce Istanbul in July.

The Turkish side won 5-0, and investigators suspect that “certain currently unidentified SSV Ulm players” received more than 10,000 euros (14,900 dollars) to throw the game, the paper said.

Reports also said that the ring was believed to have placed enormous bets with Asian bookmakers, where limits on the sums that punters can gamble can be several times higher than in Europe.

Two of those arrested in Thursday included two Croatian brothers living in Berlin, Ante and Milan Sapina, who were at the centre of a match-fixing scandal that rocked Germany in 2004, newspapers said.

That case saw referee Robert Hoyzer sentenced to two years and five months in prison after admitting being paid 70,000 euros (104,000 dollars) by a Croatian mafia ring to throw games.

The matches concerned were mainly in the German second and third division, but a German Cup match between first division SV Hamburg and third division Paderborn and a first division match in Turkey were also affected.

Hoyzer was released after serving half of his sentence.

BOCHUM, Germany (AFP)

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Ireland may come to regret Reid freeze-out

November 14, 2009


Giovanni Trapattoni may have cause to regret his decision to leave Sunderland playmaker Andy Reid out in the cold when Ireland face France on Saturday and next Wednesday in their two-legged World Cup play-off.

Reid has been in sparkling form for his club this season in the Premier League, notching some fantastic goals, notably from free-kicks — an area Ireland need to improve on with the exception of Glenn Whelan’s thunderbolts from long range.

He has a range of passing that can unlock the best defences in the world and Ireland will need somebody with that capability against the more-fancied French at Croke Park and Stade de France over the next week.

But the Dubliner has been overlooked by Trapattoni ever since he fell out with the wily, no-nonsense Italian a year ago in the team’s hotel bar in the German city of Wiesbaden after Ireland’s qualifier with Georgia.

Reid has apologised profusely for failing to go to bed before a 2am curfew and, unlike, say, Manchester City’s Stephen Ireland, he has reiterated on many occasions his commitment to play for his country.

But while Trapattoni and his backroom team continue to court Ireland, Reid remains in exile. Of course with a lack of creativity in Ireland’s central midfield, Ireland would be a welcome addition, but surely his absence only reinforces the need for Reid’s recall?

The former Tottenham player has knuckled down since his move to the north east of England, lost lots of weight, looks fitter than ever, and has become one of the most improved players in the best league in the world.

Is it time Trapattoni swallowed his pride?

PHOTO: Fans of Ireland’s soccer team attend France national soccer team’s training session at Clairefontaine south of Paris on November 11, 2009. France will face Ireland in Dublin on November 14, 2009 in a World Cup 2010 play off qualifying soccer match . REUTERS/Charles Platiau

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Hamburg stay top despite Frankfurt draw

September 20, 2009


Hamburg remained top of the Bundesliga despite a 1-1 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday while rivals Bayer Leverkusen were held to a goalless draw by Werder Bremen.

League-leaders Hamburg got an early breakthrough when former Bayern Munich midfielder Ze Roberto netted in the eighth minute, but Frankfurt went into the half-time break all square after defender Marco Russ equalised.

Frankfurt, along with Leverkusen and Hamburg, are still unbeaten and the leaders struggled to break down Eintracht’s stubborn defence.

“We are disappointed,” admitted Hamburg coach Bruno Labbadia.

“That was two points too few.

“We sat back a bit after taking the lead.

“Things were better after half-time, our main problem was that we didn’t have enough penetration in attack, but I am very happy with our attitude.”

Leverkusen remain second and level on points with Hamburg after they picked up a point in the 0-0 draw at home to Bremen.

“We are content with the point, we are still unbeaten and are playing good football at the moment,” said Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling.

“Both sides did not want to leave themselves open at the back and we couldn’t finish the few chances we had.”

Hertha Berlin remain rooted to the bottom of the table after they were hammered 4-0 by fellow bottom-three dwellers Freiburg at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

Teenage goalkeeper Sascha Burchert had a Bundesliga debut to forget when the 19-year-old leaked three goals before half-time, but his defence did him no favours as they allowed Freiburg’s attack to run riot.

Freiburg’s Croatia midfielder Ivica Banovic was the chief tormentor as he scored the first and last goals to help lift his side up to 11th in the table.

On Saturday, Belgium defender Daniel Van Buyten scored the winner to seal a 2-1 victory over Nuremberg as Bayern Munich picked up their third straight league win which put them third in the table.

The same day Oktoberfest – the Munich beer festival – opened in the south German city, Van Buyten’s winner at the Allianz Arena quenched Bayern’s fans’ thirst for league points.

Striker Ivica Olic had put Bayern ahead before forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting threatened to spoil the party in Munich with an equaliser for Nuremberg, but Van Buyten headed the winner.

Having thrown away a 1-0 lead in the Champions League against Rangers on Wednesday in a 1-1 draw, Stuttgart coach Markus Babbel suffered another disappointment when Cologne picked up their first win of the season at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

Cologne got off to a dream start when striker Sebastian Freis headed his side into the lead after 25 minutes and it was enough to give his side the three points.

Former German international goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was left red-faced after he brought down Cologne’s Manasseh Ishiaku well out of his area, but Wilfried Sanou was on hand to score from 30 metres out to seal a 2-0 win in the dying stages.

Hoffenheim came back from being 2-0 down to seal a 4-2 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach to go fourth, while Bochum were beaten 3-2 at home by Mainz who stay fifth.

Hanover held Dortmund to a 1-1 draw.

On Friday, champions Wolfsburg ended a run of three straight league defeats with a 2-1 win at Schalke as striker Edin Dzeko scored twice.

Wolfsburg were bouyed by a mid-week Champions League debut win over CSKA Moscow and the result leaves the Wolves ninth.

BERLIN (AFP)

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Van Buyten gets the party started in Munich

September 19, 2009


Belgium’s Daniel Van Buyten scored the winner to seal a 2-1 victory over Nuremberg on Saturday as Bayern Munich picked up their third straight league win to help the beer flow at Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest – the Munich beer festival – opened in the south German city on Saturday and Van Buyten’s winner was just the tonic Bayern needed having also opened the scoring in the 3-0 Champions League win over Maccabi Haifa on Tuesday.

After Ivica Olic had put Bayern ahead in the Bavaria derby, striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting threatened to spoil the party in Munich with an equaliser for Nuremberg, before Van Buyten headed Bayern into a 2-1 lead.

Bayern started strongly and Germany striker Mario Gomez appeared to have scored after half an hour when his shot hit both the cross-bar and the goal line, but the replays showed the ball had not completely crossed the line.

Munich got the break-through they craved when 20-year-old Thomas Mueller slid a pass into the penalty area and Croatian striker Olic drilled home his shot on 55 minutes.

Olic then made way for Germany striker Miroslav Klose to make his first appearance since the 2-1 defeat at Mainz having struggled with injury.

Nuremberg threatened to dampen the celebrations in Munich when Ikkay Guendogan timed his pass perfectly and Choupo-Moting was on hand to slot his shot home on 73 minutes.

But van Buyten was not to be denied and he headed home Arjen Robben’s cross on 82 minutes.

With both leaders Hamburg and second-placed Leverkusen playing on Sunday, the result moves Bayern up to third in the table.

Having thrown away a 1-0 lead in the Champions League against Rangers on Wednesday, Stuttgart coach Markus Babbel suffered another disappointment when Cologne picked up their first win of the season at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

Cologne got off to a dream start when striker Sebastian Freis headed his side into the lead after 25 minutes and it was enough to give his side the three points.

And ex-Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was left red-faced after he brought down Cologne’s Manasseh Ishiaku well out of his area, but Wilfried Sanou was on hand to score from 30 metres out to seal a 2-0 win in the dying stages.

Hoffenheim came back from being 2-0 down to seal a 4-2 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach to go fourth in the lead, while Bochum were beaten 3-2 at home by Mainz who stay fifth.

Hanover held Dortmund to a 1-1 draw.

On Friday, German champions Wolfsburg ended a run of three straight league defeats with a 2-1 win at Schalke as striker Edin Dzeko scored twice.

Wolfsburg were buoyed by a mid-week Champions League debut win over CSKA Moscow and the results leaves the Wolves up to eighth place.

BERLIN (AFP)

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Everton sign Bilyaletdinov from Lokomotiv

August 25, 2009


English Premier League side Everton have signed Lokomotiv Moscow skipper Diniyar Bilyaletdinov on a five-year deal, the railway-backed side announced on their official website Tuesday.

The 24-year-old midifelder, who has played for Lokomotiv since 2004, signed a deal with Everton late Monday in the German city of Hamburg, where he had undergone a medical examination.

No financial details of the deal were disclosed.

Bilyaletdinov won the Russian league title with Lokomotiv in 2004. He played in all Russia’s matches at Euro 2008 where they reached the semi-finals.

MOSCOW (AFP)

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Jol happy in Hamburg, rejects City talk

April 16, 2009

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PARIS (AFP) – Martin Jol insists he is concentrating on turning Hamburg into a top side despite growing talk of a switch to Manchester City, the Germans’ opponents in Thursday’s UEFA Cup quarter-finals return.

With a 3-1 lead from the first encounter Bundesliga title contenders Hamburg look favourites to reach the last four and former Spurs boss Jol is keen to extend his adventure in the stylish northern German city, even if media reports say he could replace Mark Hughes should the Welshman leave City in the summer.

Dutchman Jol dismisses the idea.

“The name Jol gets bandied about at every English club which happens to have a problem with its coach. It really gets on my nerves. But I’m not thinking about it (leaving Hamburg) in the slightest,” he insisted.

“I am at a great club with great fans with a great environment, the likes of which few clubs can boast in Europe.

“I am very happy here,” he told Bild newspaper.

“Working conditions are great – Hamburg are a club steeped in tradition such as only three or four clubs are in England.”

Jol has a contract until the end of next season and while he has not yet talked about an extension he admits that “I can imagine working here for a lot longer yet.”

The board are hoping to take Kevin Keegan’s former club – they won the Bundesliga with Keegan on board, then lifted the European Cup in 1983 after he had left – to the next level.

“They want to take the next step, so I’ve read – and I’m curious to see what that entails,” said Jol.

While Hamburg seek to reestablish themselves as a major force in a European game which has seen England and Spain come to preeminence ahead of Italy while Germany has relatively faded into the background, City are likewise chasing the elite.

For all the talk of being the world’s richest club following last year’s takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment, City have endured a mediocre English Premier League campaign and are set to finish in mid-table.

European success for the first time since a Cup Winners Cup win in 1970 might save Hughes’, though the injury loss of livewire forward Craig Bellamy is a blow.

Bellamy suffered a recurrence of a knee injury in the match in Germany while strike partner Benjani Mwaruwari is battling a thigh muscle strain and winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has ankle trouble. But Brazilian Robinho, rested for a weekend loss against Fulham, will play.

“We’re hopeful that Shaun Wright-Phillips will be OK,” said Hughes, noting growing “tiredness” at this stage of the campaign.

While City bid to overturn a two-goal deficit Marseille must do the same as the former European champions take on Shakhtar Donetsk after losing 2-0 in Ukraine.

Marseille coach Eric Gerets says his side have a tough task ahead, though confidence is high after Sunday’s 4-1 thrashing of Grenoble which saw his men take pole position in the French league off Lyon.

“I make Shakhtar the favourites but the atmosphere of a full house at the Velodrome will impress them. We need a little miracle,” said Gerets, who knows the thin margin between success and failure after Marseille exited in last year’s round of 16 on away goals to eventual winners Zenit St Petersburg.

Dynamo Kiev, 15 points clear of Shakhtar at the top of their league, will target a Ukrainian double against French opposition despite the absence of key defenders Taras Mykhalik and Senegalese Pape Diakhate, as they try to finish the job against a Paris St-Germain side they held to a scoreless draw away.

Werder Bremen, who knocked out David Beckham’s AC Milan earlier in the tournament, like Hamburg have a 3-1 advantage in their pockets as they travel to Udine to face Italy’s Udinese.

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