08/09/2024 – 13:56
Cases are reportedly directly linked to the activities of “bets”, online betting companies. Authorities are investigating “suspicious referee decisions” and player behavior in 17 matches in different divisions. German police have confirmed that they have opened investigations into 17 matches in the lower divisions of German football on suspicion of match-fixing in association with online betting companies – the so-called “bets”.
Authorities in the states of Hesse and Saarland have begun investigating suspicious shipments. The Federal Criminal Investigation Office (BKA) – Germany’s federal police – confirmed that it was “involved in the process as central coordinator”.
The investigations followed an article published in the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper this weekend. The report exposed match-fixing schemes in the third division of German football (3. Liga), in the semi-professional tournament of the fourth division (Regionallliga) and in the amateur league that is equivalent to the 5th division (Oberliga). The manipulations were allegedly taking place through online bookmakers since November 2022.
In the 17 games in question, authorities said they were observing suspicious decisions by match officials and some unusual behavior by goalkeepers and defenders.
Discussions about manipulation are said to have taken place on the so-called dark web. Message exchanges reveal that illegally accumulated profits would be paid in cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin.
Low wages encourage manipulation
The Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper reported two other incidents in the fifth-tier Hamburg Oberliga last week where so-called data scouts were discovered sending real-time information to betting platforms during matches. After the scouts were removed from the stadiums, it was no longer possible to bet on those games.
The German Football Association (DBF) said it had no concrete evidence but was in contact with authorities and was looking into the cases with its betting monitoring partner, Genius Sports. The DFB said it would not comment on the case because the investigation was ongoing.
In Germany, betting on amateur sports activities is prohibited, but current legislation does not apply to foreign betting companies.
Late last year, public prosecutors began investigating an unusual amount of bets placed on a fourth-tier German football match involving FSV Frankfurt, following a tip-off from a betting company.
Hannes Beuck, founder of Gamesright, a charity that supports gamblers who have lost money at online casinos, believes the potential for match-fixing in amateur sport is higher as players and referees receive lower or nonexistent salaries.
Memories of the Hoyzer scandal
The new investigations have revived memories of a 2005 scandal when referee Robert Hoyzer was found to have fixed matches in the German second and fourth divisions and the German Cup in collaboration with a Croatian betting mafia. Hoyzer was sentenced to two years and five months in prison.
Referee Felix Zwayer was also involved in the scandal, having been banned for six months for failing to immediately report a 300 euro (R$1,856) bribe offered by Hoyer in 2004. Zwayer denied accepting the money and is still a referee for the DFB and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
rc (dpa, AP)
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