Bitter Grapes - I!

“The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed.”  - Mahatma Gandhi.

Having extreme greed is not a crime, success never comes without being greedy. The greed for learning, for money or for acquiring knowledge is not a crime. All great person who left behind their vast invention definitely were more greedy than us. People like Bill Gates and Warren Buffets too greedy for more money, only they used it for a cause. However, when greed comes as a package along with unscrupulous route then it is crime. Since last week we are experiencing so much regarding spot fixing in the IPL and being an avid sports junkie certainly felt being cheated. Earning as good as sixty lakhs rupees for not bowling a over properly, WOW and OUCH.  

Every sports have a history of fixing and betting but only the team game which more often popped in the picture but no body guarantee that a tennis or a golf match never rigged.

If a fixer in a game of cricket which only played among a few handful countries can earn sixty lakhs within five minutes then what if it is a game of football. Here is a few instances of Football betting and match fixing.

Football

Paolo Rossi (The Villain turned to a Hero) - Italy

While at Perugia, Paolo Rossi was involved in the infamous 1980 betting scandal known in Italy as Totonero, and as a result of this Rossi was disqualified for three years though this was later reduced to a two year ban.

Rossi returned just in time for 1982 FIFA World Cup and he scored three memorable goals to shock Brazil 3–2 to qualify for the semi finals against Poland. n the final against Germany, Rossi scored the first of Italy's three goals to win the match 3–1, giving his team their third World Cup. With six goals total, he won the tournament's  Golden Boot award.

Spanish League – La Liga (2012-2013)

This year just concluded The Spanish football league is investigating Deportivo La Coruna's 4-0 win over Levante on 13 April over a possible case of match-fixing.

Italian League –Serie A (2005-2006)

May 2006 by Italian police, implicating league champions Juventus, and other major teams including AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, and Reggina when a number of telephone interceptions showed a thick network of relations between team managers and referee organisations. Juventus were the champions of Serie A at the time. The teams have been accused of rigging games by selecting favourable referees. The table shows how the teams severely punished.

Ac Milan	Deducted 30 .
Fiorentina	Barred from 2006–07 UEFA Champions
Juventus	Stripped of 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles. Relegated to Serie B.
Lazio	Barred from 2006–07 UEFA Cup
Reggina	£68000 fine

Champions League

A Champions League tie played in England is among 380 suspicious matches in Europe uncovered in a wide-ranging match-fixing investigation.

The European police agency, Europol, says matches they believe were fixed include Word Cup and European Championship qualifiers, two Champions League games and "several top football matches in European leagues".

425 match officials, club officials, players and criminals are suspected of being involved, while a further 300 games covering Africa, Asia and south and central America are under suspicion.

A Champions League game involving Liverpool FC is at the centre of the biggest ever football match-fixing scandal in Europe, police have revealed.

It was claimed that the 2009 home tie with Hungarian side Debrecen VSC is under scrutiny. Liverpool won 1-0 and are not under any suspicion. But it is reported Debrecen goalkeeper Vukasin Poleksic was allegedly paid to ensure there were more than two goals in the match. Poleksic palmed a shot by Fernando Torres into the path of Dirk Kuyt, who hit the winner.

!!!Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction. - Erich Fromm!!!