Top 10 Biggest Football Cheating Scandals Ever
#10: Acting on the World’s Stage
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Hoping to get off to a good start at the 2002 World Cup, Brazil faced Turkey in the first game of Group C. With the South Americans leading 2-1, and as the seconds ticked down to full-time, Brazil had a corner. As Turkey’s Hakan Ünsal kicked the ball toward Rivaldo, it seemingly hit the Brazilian in the face, who went down. Ünsal was sent off. However, replays showed the ball had hit the then-Barcelona forward on the leg, not the face he dramatically grasped. For his unsportsmanlike playacting, Rivaldo was fined by FIFA. Even though Brazil ended up winning the competition, this infamous moment tainted that accolade.
#9: Pepe’s Fury
Pepe is a nightmare for opposition attackers. He uses his aggression to intimidate players into making mistakes. However, the Portuguese defender often took it way too far. In 2009, while playing for Real Madrid, Pepe snapped against Getafe CF in Spain’s La Liga. With Javier Casquero bearing down on goal, he fell under pressure from Pepe. The defender proceeded to kick Casquero multiple times and stamped on him in a horrific attack. This sparked a bit of a mêlée between the two sides. Afterward, Pepe was banned for a massive ten games. In another instance, at the 2018 World Cup, Portugal faced Morocco in their group match. As Medhi Benatia tapped Pepe on the back, he went down as though he was hit by a cannonball. Yikes.
#8: Teething Problems
As good as Luis Suárez has been on the pitch, he has one glaring problem that stands out from the rest. Biting. In 2010, when playing for Ajax, he took a chomp out of PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal, which resulted in a fine and suspension. Then, in 2013 while playing for Liverpool, Suárez got into a tussle with Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanović, where the Uruguayan let his inner vampire out. Suárez was banned for ten games. But at the World Cup in 2014, he learned nothing from his other incidents, as Suárez bit Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini. He received the biggest World Cup ban of nine games, forbidden from all soccer related activity for four months, and a fine.
#7: Amateur Acupuncture
Carlos Bilardo has worn a lot of hats. He was a midfield general in Argentina, a physician, and a World Cup winning manager with his country. But he’s best known for bending the rules whenever possible. When playing for clubs like San Lorenzo and Estudiantes, Bilardo hid needles in his socks. During games, he would subtly stab opponents, forcing them to make mistakes. In 2017, Federico Allende, an Argentine player, took inspiration from Bilardo by poking the opposition with sharp objects. When he became a manager, Bilardo continued his dastardly ways. He reportedly told his players to put heat rub in the opposition’s eyes and admitted having knowledge that a water bottle given to the team Brazil had been spiked in 1990 during a World Cup match.
#6: Rotten Rojas
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In 1989, the event known as the “El Maracanazo” took place. For a 1990 World qualifying match for the 1990 World Cup, Brazil took on Chile. The latter needed to win to go through. But with Chile losing one-nil, their goalkeeper, Roberto Rojas, went down. Seemingly, he had been hit by a flare thrown from the crowd. As a result, his teammates refused to continue. However, unfortunately for Rojas, the TV cameras picked up on what actually happened. He wasn’t hit at all. It turned out Rojas had used a razor blade to give himself injuries. This was planned by manager Orlando Aravena and the team doctor. Rojas was banned from football for life and Chile was banned from participating in the 1994 World Cup. The ban against Rojas was later lifted.
#5: The Good Friday Match Fixing Scandal
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Manchester United and Liverpool have one of the most passionate rivalries around. So, you might be surprised to hear that the duo worked together back in 1915 to fix a match. In the then-First Division, United was battling relegation as Liverpool was safe. With World War One about to suspend the division, players on both sides placed bets on the game. In the end, United won two-nil. But suspicions were aroused when Liverpool looked bored, missed a penalty, then had a go at their teammate, who almost scored. After an investigation, the FA banned three United and four Liverpool players for life. However, the bans for six players were eventually lifted, while center forward Enoch West had to wait until 1945.
#4: The Whistle Mafia
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Referees are usually seen as a pillar of the sport’s law, not the ones breaking them. But in Brazil in 2005, Edílson Pereira de Carvalho and Paulo José Danelon were taking payments to fix the outcome of matches by a gambling ring. The results of several Brazilian National Championship and Second Division games were annulled, and the reffing duo were banned from officiating for life. Another scandal involving referees happened the same year in Germany. Robert Hoyzer, the main culprit, confessed to fixing and betting on the outcome of matches in cup competitions and lower-down leagues. He was banned for life and received a prison sentence.
#3: Tapiegate
In 1993, France’s Marseille was at the top of their game. They won the Ligue 1 and became the first French side to win the Champions League. But that soon fell apart. It came out that their president Bernard Tapie and general manager Jean-Pierre Bernès had asked several Valenciennes players to forfeit their match with Marseille. One of the players, Jacques Glassmann, told the authorities about the bride. As a result, Glassmann got the FIFA Fair Play Award in 1995. Marseille was stripped of being league champions and relegated to the division below. Tapie, Bernès, and several others that were involved in the conspiracy were banned for life and sentenced to prison.
#2: The Hand of God
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As one of the greatest players to step onto a pitch, Diego Maradona had all the talent to take apart England single-handedly at the 1986 World Cup Quarter-Final. And he did, at least with his second goal. But the first one is what puts a mark on his legacy. With the ball floating towards the England goal, keeper Peter Shilton ran to get it. However, he was beaten to it by the eight-inch smaller Maradona, and the ball fell into the England goal. England immediately began protesting. Something was off. Replays showed the Argentine had knocked the ball into the back of the net with his hand, and the ref didn’t see it. Argentina went on to win two-one and ended up winning the tournament. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Le Hand of God In a World Cup Qualifier Against the Republic of Ireland in 2009, Thierry Henry Controlled the Ball With His Hand as He Set up the Winning Goal On A Roll After His Diving & Playacting Shenanigans at the 2018 World Cup, Neymar Became a Rolling Meme Sneaky Peak Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets Pretended to Be Hit by Inter Milan’s Thiago Motta in a 2010 Champions League Bout
#1: Calciopoli
European football was rocked when this scandal came out in 2006. Higher-ups of several Italian football clubs and referee groups had been influencing the choosing of favorable officials for certain matches. Even Serie A champions Juventus were found to be involved. They were stripped of the 05 and 06 titles, the latter of which was given to Inter Milan. But even more dramatically, Juventus were relegated to Serie B for the following season. Other clubs involved in the Calciopoli, like AC Milan, Lazio, Reggina, and Fiorentina, received various punishments, mostly point deductions and expulsions from competitions. As for the individuals, many of them were handed bans from football and even received prison sentences.
