Not just about match fixing

Portuguese football has not been immune to the match fixing scandals that have tested the integrity of the sport worldwide. Last year there was even reference to a game that never existed, between second division teams Freamunde, from Portugal, and Ponferradina, from Spain. Bets were actually being made in relation to this game on a few betting sites. Federbet were on top of things and denounced these remarkable circumstances, thereby involving the leagues and the national polices. So far, we have yet to hear about the results of the ensuing investigations, but this was definitely a case of taking the concept of match fixing to a whole 'nother level. It’s not even match fixing per se, because the match never actually took place.

Federbet were at it again in 2014, when they indicated that the results of the Portuguese Second League games opposing Oliveirense to Benfica B, Trofense and Portimonense had been compromised. Oliveirense denied the possibility of match fixing but this week José Godinho, their president, stated that the club would be decreeing internal preventative measures, in order to avoid any possibility of match fixing. As of June 2015, Oliveirense players and staff may not access the internet or use their cell phones and tablets from the moment they assemble in preparation for matches – which may trigger a few individual fundamental rights’ issues if not properly handled – and any employee caught betting will be disciplined the club.

This is certainly a step in the right direction, but match fixing demands the direct intervention of the bodies governing the competitions. While speaking to a few players in the industry, I realized sports’ betting fraud is a much more pervasive feature than generally perceived and it materializes in many different, deceptive ways.

I was most surprised by a technique that apparently is widely used: scouts (the guys relaying results live to the betting agencies, the ones who basically ensure that results are reported with minimum delay) are approached on the stadiums and required – in terms that vary from friendly to outright menacing – to refrain from, or delay the reporting of information that may seem innocuous to most but is of significant value. Most typically people will bet on results, i.e. goals scored, and the fight against match fixing is principally aimed towards this end. However, there is lots of money to be made on insignificancies such as the number of yellow cards, corners or fouls in any given game. In this instance, the timing of the occurrence and the urgency with which the information is passed on is of utmost importance.

Let’s think about this very simples situation: John bets that blue team will benefit from a throw-in within the next two minutes. Just imagine how much John would have to gain if he actually had that sort of information live and could manage to withhold the information from betting site for a vital few seconds. He would be able to place the bet and then collect the corresponding gain.

The fight against match fixing is, in a sense, a very limited way to approach the ill effects of illicit sports’ betting. One would think that the reliability of the final result in a game, which is typically compromised by approaches to players or referees, is as fundamental to the integrity of football as the trustworthiness and timing of the information being passed on to betting sites and companies. Therefore, governing bodies are pressed into looking at the possibilities arising from sports’ betting under a different light.

Surely the ownership of clubs is of paramount importance. There is little doubt that players, referees and other agents must be protected from any approaches with the aim of rigging the end result of a game. But little attention has been paid to the reliability of the information upon which bets are being made. Betting companies must discuss their procedures for collection of data with governing bodies, which in turn must ensure that scouts and other personnel involved in the collection of data is properly identified, licensed and protected within stadiums.

This, we contend, would be a very welcome addition to current guidelines on the fight against fraud in sport.

Portuguese storm

When Germany were crowned world champions in 2014, the world suddenly took notice of the silent revolution that had began in 2001, the year that marked the inception of compulsory academies in the Bundesliga. It was a measure largely forced by the lack of sporting success, compounded by a disastrous Euro 2000 – when coincidentally Portugal beat the “Mannschaft” 3-0.

In the recent U21 Euro Championship, Portugal beat Germany 5-0 on its way to the final, a game lost to Sweden in the penalty shootout. Suggesting a swing towards the south in the football power stakes is a step too far, and one defeat does not detract from the excellent work being done in Germany. However, this result as well as the performance of the U20 in the world cup held in New Zealand, may suggest something slightly different is happening in the land of Cristiano Ronaldo.

In Portugal, proper youth academies are still a privilege of the Big 3 – Benfica, Porto and Sporting – along with Guimarães. Braga have just uncovered plans for a state of the art academy. Up and coming clubs such as Rio Ave are also doing their bit, but the strategic decision to support young talent is perhaps more to do with the economic crisis, rather than a surge in the quality of young talent. Which has always been there, most would argue.

Perhaps the most telling measure was the re-introduction of the “B” sides in 2012, which had been abandoned in 2006. At the time, “B” sides were restricted to playing in the third tier competition, while currently they are allowed to play up to the second tier. “B” sides must field at least 8 starting players aged between 16 and 23, and 10 of the 18 players included in the match sheet must be locally trained, i.e. have been registered for at least 3 seasons with the Portuguese Football Association between the ages of 15 and 21.

Each player in the U20 starting eleven in New Zealand boasted an average of roughly 29 games played in 2014/15, and most of them in the Portuguese II League. The U21 starting eleven contained players who had starred for their “B” sides in 2013/14 and now have either moved on to Europe’s best leagues or have established themselves as regulars for well established teams in the first league. If it were not for the “B” sides, most of these guys would have had to wait another 2 or 3 years before getting a taste of proper professional football, and some would have found it hard to drag themselves out of the depths of the semi-professional ranks.

What to make of it then? Regulations do not make Cristiano Ronaldo’s, Figo’s or Bernardo Silva’s. That sort of talent is born out of strategy and execution – look no further than the Germany case study – or some sort of the genetic and social predisposition, in which case we will always struggle for consistency. However, proper regulations will put in place competitions that foster the affirmation of young talent, its impact so immediate that it defies any long-term strategy. There is no substitute to proper competition.

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