La Liga, Spanish Second Division Players, Coaches And Executives Talk Match-Fixing

La Liga and Spanish Second Division "players, managers and presidents admit, in recorded statements, the fixing of match results," according to MARCA. Players, coaches and execs described on condition of anonymity their experiences related to match-fixing. One La Liga player said, "I went to play against Levante and the coach, in the pre-match team talk, told us: 'We're going to play, to jump, to compete and to score. If we score a goal, they will equalize, and if they score a goal against us, we will equalize. If, in the 85th minute, the scores are level, we give up and that's it.' We both needed a draw. We finished 0-0. In the talk, he told us not to fake it the whole way through the match. It was laughable." One coach said, "I've even doubted about whether or not to put a player in the line up, thinking he had been bought. You don't trust half the squad. But if you take them out and put young players in, they end up accusing you of not wanting to win" (MARCA, 5/29).