Although the European Cup has always been the continent’s greatest football competition, it is arguable that its popularity skyrocketed after it was renamed the Champions League in the early 1990s.
About the Rebrand
Only the genuine Champions of the various European leagues were allowed to compete before the rebrand, which meant that public interest in the competition was not as high as it should have been.
It’s now a globally televised sport, with plenty of opportunities for exposure thanks to a group stage consisting of six matches for each club before the knockout rounds even begin.
However, with such a high level of interest, there will always be some who wish to benefit in some way. The larger and riskier the prospective reward, the larger and riskier the interest.
Mafia offered UEFA Referees
According to The Sun, the Mafia is offering UEFA referees up to £25,000 to sway matches. Bribes are nothing new in football, however, they were formerly regarded to be the domain of Far Eastern betting syndicates. In 1997, the Irish Times reported on a similar situation involving Premier League goalkeepers Hans Segers and Bruce Grobbelaar.
If the Mafia is successful in infiltrating and manipulating UEFA’s refereeing pool, it may put Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Manchester City’s European campaigns in jeopardy. That would be disastrous for everyone involved.
Critical Situation
The danger is being taken seriously, since a document written to the FA, which was reported by The Sun, stated that “a suspected match-fixer attempted to recruit referees to affect matches via social media.”
“The corrupters used cyber-crime strategies not previously seen in reported corrupter messages,” according to the paper, “potentially indicating a bleed-over in tactics from more advanced groups or even the potential for collaboration with such groups.” Man United and Liverpool’s Champions League games could be jeopardized when Mafia bribes were discovered.
“This evolution may have been accelerated by the Covid lockdown, during which cybercriminals both diversified and intensified their criminal activities, according to Europol.”
“We assess corrupters will likely continue to attempt contact with players, referees, and other officials via social media and the use of more sophisticated messages, including personalized content and manipulation techniques.”
