And so, the story breaks from Macedonia, that the referee in Canada’s recent 3-0 loss to the Former Yugoslavian Republic had more on his mind than the fair arbitership of an international soccer friendly.
The over-under number on the game was 2.5. The ref – and a large international gambling syndicate – had “over.” Four penalty kicks – some outright odd – were whistled. Canada (bless them!) were gifted two, and squandered both.
Nobody’s innocent like us, eh?
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Yeah, I know. What if some of the Canadians had “under?” Declan Hill, in his definitive book “The Fix,” points out reassuringly that you rarely get action going both ways on a fixed game. It’s far more likely that a player, team or ref gets bought, and the smart money overloads on one particular result.
As I write this, there’s no reason to believe anyone other than the ref was involved in pole-screwing what should have been a decent little outing for two sides that didn’t get invited to the World Cup dance in South Africa next year. Canada just happened to be on the field at the time.
Next time, though, we may not be so lucky.
A couple of years back, I encountered an ad on Craigslist, looking for a soccer announcer. Having some modest qualifications, I enquired. The gig would have paid a flat, rather nice per-game amount, if I were willing sit up in a corner of Toronto’s Lamport Stadium with a cell phone, updating gamblers on the score and circumstances of matches in the semi-pro Canadian Soccer League.
I turned it down, but I know friends who signed on. I’m happy for them – Canadian soccer is a tough game to make a buck in – but I have a greater, deeper concern.
Fixing soccer matches is not a matter of glamour and high-profile. Certainly big games are vulnerable, but better opportunities often exist off the beaten path. Macedonia-Canada wasn’t exactly top of the bill that day. But a lot of money had clear reasons to believe the ref was going to ensure at least three goals, regardless of the intentions or abilities of the two teams on the pitch.
Canadian Soccer League games are clearly worth investing in. Our tiny teams are being tracked, minute by minute. Anyone watching this league for five minutes knows there is absolutely no money in it, and the people who run it – however well-intentioned and hard-working – are cryingly naïve.
So you lost half a million quid on Manchester United? How ‘bout making it back with a sure thing on North York Astros, or Italia Shooters, or Trois-Rivieres Attak?
I’m not pointing any fingers or naming any names. As far as I know or can prove, Canadian soccer is clean. But the money doesn’t care where the money comes from. We would be painfully over-innocent to ever believe such things could never happen here.
We’re entering a year where – for a while – it’s going to seem like fixes are everywhere. The evidence is rising, and – as Monty Python would brilliantly put it – even the police are beginning to sit up and take notice.
The more the heat rises, the deeper the money will dive. Italy’s Serie C? The Cypriot League? The CSL?
For those of us who love the game, two immense challenges await:
- Don’t lose faith
- Don’t be surprised
International soccer gambling money is already in Canada. It’s been here for at least two full years. May the vigilance of all be equal to its reach.
Onward!