5 World Football Scandals of 2012 so Far

Mikhail Turner@MikhailTurnerX.com LogoContributor IIIApril 28, 2012

5 World Football Scandals of 2012 so Far

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    World Football has seen its share of scandals in 2012 so far.

    The Calciopoli scandal is probably one of the biggest in recent memory with FIFA's problems with corruption on an equal level.

    While these various scandals taint the reputation of the game wherever they originate, thankfully, they have not had too negative affect on what we fans most like to see: the game itself.

    Here are some of the World Football Scandals of 2012 So far.

Bari Match-Fixing

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    Italian football has had to deal with the revelation of another match-fixing scandal only six years after the famous Calciopoli scandal.

    Serie B side Bari is at the center of this scandal after former player Andrea Masiello (pictured above playing for Atalanta now) admitted to deliberately scoring an own goal for monetary gain during one of the teams games last season.

Brazil Football Confederation President in New Scandal

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    Ricardo Teixeira, the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, is in the midst of another scandal.

    Local newspapers report that the president was somehow involved with a company who overcharged both the organizers of a 2008 friendly between Brazil and Portugal.

    "Folha said the Ailanto Marketing firm charged almost twice the normal room rate in booking accommodation for the Brazil side and 40 members of the Portuguese delegation. The local government of Brasilia spent 9 million reais ($5.23 million) on the game, according to Folha.

    It said Ailanto is the owner of another company called VSV Agropecuaria Empreendimentos Ltda whose Rio de Janeiro business address is the same as that of a firm belonging to Teixeira"

    Folha did not specify how Teixeira might have benefited from the overcharging."

    The last sentence stating that there is no specific evidence of Teixeira benefiting from the situation does give a moment for pause.

    Further on however, it is revealed that he is no stranger to such corruption scandals as he also been accused of his role in the recent FIFA ISL scandal which been going on for some time.

New Revelations in ISL Scandal

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    This scandal isn't necessarily new to this year but there has been some more information dug up this year.

    FIFA President Sepp Blatter finds himself in more hot water after it was revealed that some former FIFA executives received almost $15m between them thanks to the ISL scandal.

    In a report presented in the article by French national assembly member, Francois Rochebloine, Blatter is criticized for his lack of action in the situation.

    "Since FIFA was aware of significant sums paid to certain of its officials, it is difficult to imagine that Mr Blatter would not have known about this," the report said.

    "That does not mean that he was directly involved in this case of backhanders. But I believe it is extraordinary that he did nothing to make public all the information which FIFA had or has, and took no steps whether internally or via the courts to enable FIFA to obtain reparation."

Zimbabwe Match Fixing

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    Henrietta Rushwaya, the former Zimbabwe Football Association CEO, was arrested earlier this year for her role in Zimbabwe's match-fixing scandal.

    "Rushwaya is alleged to have been a central figure in a multi-million dollar match-fixing scandal between 2007 and 2009 in which players and coaches of Zimbabwe’s national football team, the Warriors, were paid by bookies to lose matches in Asia."

    The article goes on to mention that players were paid thousands of dollars to play games and also allowed unsanctioned trips at Rushwaya's behest.

Chinese Football Corruption Scandal

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    It seems that former football executives always get found out after their tenure. China's Xie Yalong, the former chief of The Chinese Football Association, was recently on trial for allegedly taking bribes.

    China has been investigating corruption in football, which has led to a number of officials and players arrests, including a former World Cup referee, Lu Jun.

    He admitted having taken bribes from four teams, including Shanghai Shenhua, the team who signed Nicolas Anelka from Chelsea earlier this year.

    Yalong's successor, Nan Yong, is also on trial.

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