09-01-2011, 09:28 AM
SCANDALS
--------
¶4. © Given the ownership of the Bulgarian soccer clubs,
allegations of illegal gambling, match fixing, money
laundering, and tax evasion plague the league. A large
scandal erupted in September 2009 during the run-up to the
match between Levski and CSKA, the most important rivalry in
Bulgarian soccer. Immediately prior to the match, four
Levski players were put on a plane to Moscow as part of a
last minute transfer to the Russian team, FC Rubin Kazan.
Shortly after Levski's 2-0 loss to CSKA, it became clear that
the transfer was a hoax and that the President of Levski,
Todor Batkov, had been defrauded of the Euro 200,000 transfer
fee. The local press reported that the odds for CSKA winning
the game fell dramatically before the announcement of the
transfer, possibly indicating large amounts of money bet
against Levski. Theories on what really happened vary, but
the most popular are that Batkov bet against his own team to
pay back debts, or that the new owners of CSKA orchestrated
the transfer. Despite preliminary investigations into the
case, there have been no arrests.
RUMORS OF MATCH FIXING
----------------------
¶5. © Long-standing allegations of match fixing have
probably done the most to damage Bulgarian soccer's
reputation. According to the sports editor of the daily
"Trud," Vladimir Pamukov, and sports journalist, Krum Savov,
the most common match fixing schemes are bribing referees and
paying off players on the opposing club to insure a team
loses by a certain score. They argue that thanks to
organized crime influences and economic disparity between the
teams, match fixing has become an extremely common practice.
This has caused many Bulgarians to view the outcomes of
soccer matches like Americans view the predetermined outcomes
of professional wrestling. Pamukov highlighted the fall in
television ratings and crowds at soccer games as evidence of
this disillusionment, claiming that prior to the transition
there would be 10,000 people at games and now 500 to 2,000
show up.
¶6. © Journalists, critics and fans often cite illogical
results and unexplainable play as the evidence of match
fixing even though there have been few investigations and
proven cases over the last twenty years. When there are
arrests and evidence of corruption, cases often come to
nothing or the accused are acquitted due to a lack of
evidence. Ivan Lekov, a well-known former soccer referee and
deputy head of the State Agency for Sports and Youth, was
arrested in 2008 before TV cameras for allegedly
orchestrating match fixing. Four former soccer referees
broke their silence, claiming Lekov and the head of the
Bulgarian Football Union's (BFU) referee committee applied
pressure on them to fix matches. Following Lekov's arrest,
the BFU dismissed the entire referee committee for the first
time and passed a code of ethics for clubs. Despite these
changes, match fixing has not dissipated and Lekov, often
cited by the previous government as an example of its
anti-corruption efforts, was acquitted due to a lack of
evidence and witnesses refusing to testify. On December 14,
2009 the executive committee of the BFU, in what is becoming
an annual tradition, again fired the entire referee
commission due to match fixing rumors. It also suspended two
referees for poor officiating in recent league games, leading
to even more suspicions. The Union of European Football
Association (UEFA), the governing body of European soccer,
also is investigating Bulgarian referee Anton Genov for his
alleged involvement in fixing an international match.
According to the UEFA, there were obvious irregular betting
patterns prior to the international friendly match on
November 14, 2009 in which Genov awarded four penalty shots
during Macedonia's 3-0 victory over Canada.
http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2010/01/10SOFIA32.html
--------
¶4. © Given the ownership of the Bulgarian soccer clubs,
allegations of illegal gambling, match fixing, money
laundering, and tax evasion plague the league. A large
scandal erupted in September 2009 during the run-up to the
match between Levski and CSKA, the most important rivalry in
Bulgarian soccer. Immediately prior to the match, four
Levski players were put on a plane to Moscow as part of a
last minute transfer to the Russian team, FC Rubin Kazan.
Shortly after Levski's 2-0 loss to CSKA, it became clear that
the transfer was a hoax and that the President of Levski,
Todor Batkov, had been defrauded of the Euro 200,000 transfer
fee. The local press reported that the odds for CSKA winning
the game fell dramatically before the announcement of the
transfer, possibly indicating large amounts of money bet
against Levski. Theories on what really happened vary, but
the most popular are that Batkov bet against his own team to
pay back debts, or that the new owners of CSKA orchestrated
the transfer. Despite preliminary investigations into the
case, there have been no arrests.
RUMORS OF MATCH FIXING
----------------------
¶5. © Long-standing allegations of match fixing have
probably done the most to damage Bulgarian soccer's
reputation. According to the sports editor of the daily
"Trud," Vladimir Pamukov, and sports journalist, Krum Savov,
the most common match fixing schemes are bribing referees and
paying off players on the opposing club to insure a team
loses by a certain score. They argue that thanks to
organized crime influences and economic disparity between the
teams, match fixing has become an extremely common practice.
This has caused many Bulgarians to view the outcomes of
soccer matches like Americans view the predetermined outcomes
of professional wrestling. Pamukov highlighted the fall in
television ratings and crowds at soccer games as evidence of
this disillusionment, claiming that prior to the transition
there would be 10,000 people at games and now 500 to 2,000
show up.
¶6. © Journalists, critics and fans often cite illogical
results and unexplainable play as the evidence of match
fixing even though there have been few investigations and
proven cases over the last twenty years. When there are
arrests and evidence of corruption, cases often come to
nothing or the accused are acquitted due to a lack of
evidence. Ivan Lekov, a well-known former soccer referee and
deputy head of the State Agency for Sports and Youth, was
arrested in 2008 before TV cameras for allegedly
orchestrating match fixing. Four former soccer referees
broke their silence, claiming Lekov and the head of the
Bulgarian Football Union's (BFU) referee committee applied
pressure on them to fix matches. Following Lekov's arrest,
the BFU dismissed the entire referee committee for the first
time and passed a code of ethics for clubs. Despite these
changes, match fixing has not dissipated and Lekov, often
cited by the previous government as an example of its
anti-corruption efforts, was acquitted due to a lack of
evidence and witnesses refusing to testify. On December 14,
2009 the executive committee of the BFU, in what is becoming
an annual tradition, again fired the entire referee
commission due to match fixing rumors. It also suspended two
referees for poor officiating in recent league games, leading
to even more suspicions. The Union of European Football
Association (UEFA), the governing body of European soccer,
also is investigating Bulgarian referee Anton Genov for his
alleged involvement in fixing an international match.
According to the UEFA, there were obvious irregular betting
patterns prior to the international friendly match on
November 14, 2009 in which Genov awarded four penalty shots
during Macedonia's 3-0 victory over Canada.
http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2010/01/10SOFIA32.html