Though images of players and officials pocketing wads of cash are the first that come to mind when match fixing is discussed, the practice can take many forms. And now match fixers have developed a simple new way of living up to their name: having people bet on matches that don’t actually exist. Ghost games.
Tag: match fixing
Heerenveen abandon friendly after comically dubious series of penalties
Standard Liege and Heerenveen played a friendly in Spain on Friday that came to an abrupt and premature conclusion when the Dutch side walked off after one too many curious decisions from the referee.
Frustrations came to a boil as the ref awarded three penalties (two to Standard Liege and one to Heerenveen, which was saved), but it was the fourth for a phantom offense that pushed Heerenveen to the brink. But when the penalty was saved and the ref called for it to be retaken, they decided they had had enough and walked off the pitch, shaking hand with the Standard Liege players as they went.
Again, this was only a friendly, but it was also the most egregious example of match fixing in recent memory or maybe a Spanish official’s desperate attempt to impress his family in the stands. Either way, there are plenty of better things to do in Spain to wrap up the winter break than whatever this was.