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Global Match-Fixing Scandal Jolts Singapore And Its 'Squeaky-Clean Image'

Singapore’s "squeaky-clean image as one of the world’s least corrupt nations took a hit" after revelations that criminals based in the city-state rigged hundreds of football matches in Europe and elsewhere, according to the AFP. While police gave no immediate comment and the country’s pro-government media "downplayed the news," some Singaporeans "expressed shock, and analysts warned the scandal could harm the wealthy island’s image." Singapore’s role in int'l match-rigging "has long been clear." The latest announcement "uncovered the huge scale of the activities, and raised potential problems for Singapore’s reputation." U.S.-based consultancy Galaviz & Co. Managing Dir Jonathan Galaviz said, "Singapore’s public policy makers need to reassess whether they have enough resources dedicated to monitoring and enforcing laws relating to illegal gambling and sports corruption in the country." The FA of Singapore said it takes “a serious view of allegations pertaining to match-fixing and football corruption” and vowed to “spare no effort” to crack down on any such activities. Singapore's New Paper investigative reporter Zaihan Mohamed Yusof, who is "considered a leading authority on match-fixing," admitted that he was "taken aback by the numbers revealed by Europol." He said, "This number to me it’s huge, 680" (AFP, 2/5).

GERMANY NOT AFFECTED: REUTERS' Karolos Grohmann reported Germany's top two Bundesliga divisions are "seemingly not affected by a global match-fixing scandal" that has involved hundreds of games across several continents. Hundreds of football matches have been fixed in a global betting scam run from Singapore. German Football League (DFL) President Reinhard Rauball said, "According to our knowledge the Bundesliga and the second Bundesliga are not affected. But those who know that the betting business has a turnover of not thousands or millions but billions can suspect that criminals will set up their business there and profit from it. What is important for us is that the authorities pursue this matter intensively" (REUTERS, 2/5). REUTERS' Mark Gleeson also reported Burkina Faso national team coach Paul Put, whose own career was "blighted by his involvement in a match-fixing scandal" in Belgium in '05, said that the problem "has always existed" and "little can be done." Gleeson, "Match-fixing has always existed in football. If you look in cycling, at Lance Armstrong, it's always him who is pointed at but everybody was taking drugs. When I played football I saw a lot of things. I don't think you can change it. It's unfortunate, but I think in every sport you have to face those things" (REUTERS, 2/5).

SPAIN NOT SUPRISED: In Madrid, J. L. Ruiz reported Spanish Professional Football League (LFP) VP Javier Tebas said that “he was not surprised” by the corruption scandal unveiled by Europol. Tebas said, “Here [Spain] the illness is not admitted, so you cannot cure the patient. There are institutions which are not aware of what goes on. There is matchfixing and illegal betting. It’s in a small percentage, but corruption does also exist in Spain” (MARCA, 2/5).

BETTING FIRMS LESS AT RISK: REUTERS' Palmer & Weir reported a rigorous integrity system, clear audit trails and information sharing with sports federations mean European betting firms are "less at risk than Asian counterparts from gamblers hoping to profit from match-fixing." Britain's two biggest bookmakers, William Hill and Ladbrokes, are members of the European Sports Security Association. The organization was established in '05 by leading European betting operators to "detect and report suspicious betting patterns in sport." ESSA Chair Mike O'Kane, of Ladbrokes, said a whole series of triggers "hopefully keeps the bad people out of the licensed operators." O'Kane said that Asian betting operators "were more vulnerable" because the large volume of betting across that continent made it harder to spot fixing. London-based Betfair has signed a Memoranda of Understanding with the governing bodies of 56 sports, including FIFA and UEFA, and will "pass on names, betting details and how accounts are funded when suspicions are raised" (REUTERS, 2/5).

STAGGERING NUMBERS: In London, James Lawton opined, "Reality, cold and classical, came calling on English football." If it is the perception, "rightly or wrongly, that the desert enclave of Qatar has been able to buy football's greatest tournament, how much more shocking is it to purchase a single match?" Or even 380 of them, which is the charge against "the betting moguls of the East who are said to deal in billions each week?" It is "surely time for English football to fight for its good name more vigorously than ever before -- and such a requirement was only redoubled by the extent of the stain that spread across the game" Monday. The lone match involving an English club "is still under investigation." However, if there is "no reason to believe in the worst implications from the home perspective, there is plenty of cause to hope that even a brush with potential catastrophe is enough to signal new levels of vigilance" (INDEPENDENT, 2/4).

ASIAN BETTING MARKET: Eurosport's Paul Parker wrote, "I can't say I was surprised." In many ways, Singapore is "a great place to live." However, "I'm afraid the gambling culture is a massive problem." For many, football is a bit like horse racing in the U.K. -- it is "just a vehicle for betting." People in Singapore "love to wager" -- they favor "handicap betting where one team gets a head start." It is "absolutely huge." And unfortunately in Singapore, and throughout Southeast Asia, there is "not a lot of integrity in the gambling world" (EUROSPORT, 2/5). In London, Ed Hawkins opined, "So how do you fix a football match?" Investigators believe that worldwide fixing yields $90B annually, and that "financial muscle and malevolence to cajole or threaten players are prerequisites." Mafia, which has "plenty of both, step in and demand players manipulate the result or the number of goals scored." The Asian betting market is "dominated by two options: the Asian handicap and goals scored." The Asian handicap is "betting without the draw but with the favourite giving a headstart of a quarter of a goal or more to the opposition" (LONDON TIMES, 2/5).

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