Match - Spot Fixing - Akpo Sodje

[Peevemor]

As far as I'm aware, bookies have stopped doing speads on the time of the first thrown-in, corner, etc. immediately after kick-off (IIRC it was after an incident involving Robbie Fowler). Now they wait until a few minutes have been played and the players lose track of time (a few seconds can make a huge difference to the amount lost or won).

I had a mate who was into gambling, particularly spread betting, in a big way. Watching matches with him became unbearable because, instead of simply enjoying the football, he'd be jumping up and down about the number of corners, the total of the scorers' shirt numbers, etc.). I remember watching the England v Argentina WC match (the Beckham petulant kick game). He was on the phone to the bookies every five minutes - at one point he was about £800 down though he finished about £300 up (it was the scorers' shirt numbers that got him out the keech). Apart from being worried about a good pal, it destroyed all pleasure in watching matches with him.

[CyberSauzee]

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I remember watching Sky one day, it could have been soccer saturday or a programme like that, and there was an interview with a player who admitted they would get the ball from the kick off and boot it straight out for a throw.

He said that they used to bet on it, they bet on when the first throw in would happen. I also seem to think Matt Le Tissier agreed with this, and said he used to do this? The player was a Southampton player, Scandinavian if i remember correctly, can't remember the name?

I wonder if Le Tiss will be interviewed about this, is this not the same thing?

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That was Matt Le Tissier, was in his book when he retired

Claus Lundekvam is the Norwegian you refer to.

The market as you've correctly pointed out was the time of the first throw (in seconds). IIRC IG offered this market for about a season and a half at the end of the 90s (Sporting Index may have done, can't remember). There was also a stop/loss on it, so the maximum make up was something like 90 seconds. Opening spread would be something like 45-50. So a reasonable punt of say £300 per second and the ball out after 10 secs would net £10.5k.

As for Le Tiss, it never happened - the dates given in his book didn't match up with the game it was supposed to have happened in. I think it was when Soton played Wimbledon in 1995, the game that aroused suspicion was a game involving West Ham at old Trafford 2/3 years later. This market was only available on live matches and I don't think the Soton game was live, and that market didn't exist back when Le Tiss claimed.

The spread firms investigated the West Ham match but they found nothing wrong. I was in regular contact with some of the senior people in IG 10 years ago and they said it just didn't happen. Remember they are regulated so if there was any impropriety we would find out.

[Leishy1995]

Sodje arrested now

[S4uzee]

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Sodje arrested now

Probably for playing with 3 legs

[Leishy1995]

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Probably for playing with 3 legs

It's tucked in his sock

[itslegaltender]

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I wonder how much our own bet on failed throw ins!

last season at kick off, we kicked the ball out more often than not...

[yekimevol]

Explains his performances at ER :P

[DrewDogg1875]

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DJ Campbell now been arrested for match fixing.


Tip of the iceberg.

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DJ Campbell now been arrested for match fixing.


Tip of the iceberg.

Couldn't agree with the last part more. I'm of the belief that if journos et al are doing their jobs correctly, there is MUCH more to be unearthed here - in both the EPL & SPL. Might also go some way toward explaining why brothers Sodje were relative 'journeymen' in their careers. It really is about time we (particularly English media) stopped pointing the finger of suspicion almost exclusively at Italian football & started looking a bit closer to home. Fwiw, Akpo's not the worst player we've had, but in considering the allegations made (and assuming guilt), it's disappointing that we're associated with him in recent memory... p.s. I'm not all suggesting the club are implicated, it's just a shame that someone with questionable morals & integrity is a former player of ours.

The above assumes guilt though, so probably wise for me/us to await further news, investigation & insight...

[CyberSauzee]

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Couldn't agree with the last part more. I'm of the belief that if journos et al are doing their jobs correctly, there is MUCH more to be unearthed here - in both the EPL & SPL. Might also go some way toward explaining why brothers Sodje were relative 'journeymen' in their careers. It really is about time we (particularly English media) stopped pointing the finger of suspicion almost exclusively at Italian football & started looking a bit closer to home. Fwiw, Akpo's not the worst player we've had, but in considering the allegations made (and assuming guilt), it's disappointing that we're associated with him in recent memory... p.s. I'm not all suggesting the club are implicated, it's just a shame that someone with questionable morals & integrity is a former player of ours.

The above assumes guilt though, so probably wise for me/us to await further news, investigation & insight...

Remember that all the bookmakers and betting exchanges have all signed MoU with the footballing bodies, so if there's any suspicious betting patterns in a UK game the authorities will be notified (not that they will necessarily do anything).

As an example, Paddy Power are the only firm offering red cards for tonight's FA cup game between Wrexham and Oxford. If they started to take lumpy 3 figure bets on say, a Wrexham player red card (9/1), they would soon know something was amiss.

What we have here are massive overseas 'syndicates' betting huge sums with Asian bookmakers on a fixed outcome. If it's a spot fixing market they'll be no indication the result was fixed.

[mjhibby]

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Am I the only one that doesn't see the problem in this? As long as It doesn't affect the game I couldn't give two ****s, if I was in the same position and offered 70k to get booked there's a very strong possibility I'd have done it

Was thinking the same myself.to me it's just the bookies crying into their beer at having been fleeced.i don't buy this affecting the game and if it was ok for Letiss to do roughly the same thing with kicking the ball out then getting booked at a certain time seems no different to me.forwards get booked mostly for ill timed challenges all the time.i thought the same about the three cricketers who were banned for years for bowling no balls.it didn't affect the game so why all the fuss.a lot of fuss over nothing IMHO.

[NadeAteMyLunch!]

I don't agree with that in the slightest!! Why should overpaid footballers be making more money by match fixing whilst us-the mugs that pay their inflated wages-sit in the stand watching them pissing about picking up bookings and deliberately kicking the ball out of play! If I wanted to watch players kicking for touch then I'd go to Murrayfield, not a game of football! And 70k wasn't for a yellow, it was for a red! How can anyone say getting a red card doesn't affect the game?! Sodje's brother was LAUGHING in that interview talking about how he had spent the whole game trying to get a red card but the ref wasn't penalising his pish tackles-so he eventually punched the guy! I'd be fuming if I'd paid money to go and watch Hibs and one of our players was deliberately trying to put us down to 10 men for his own greed. I'm sure the guy that got punched by Sodje wasn't best pleased either

[weecounty hibby]

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Am I the only one that doesn't see the problem in this? As long as It doesn't affect the game I couldn't give two ****s, if I was in the same position and offered 70k to get booked there's a very strong possibility I'd have done it

Sorry but i think that is a terrible statement. You are condoning cheating and fraud in the one sentence. Call me old fashioned but i prefer my sporting "stars" to try to win not to get booked or sent off. If i thought that someone in a team i was playing for was at this i would punch his lights out. The thought that i could have bust a gut trying to win when some ****bag has agreed to take a red card for cash would really get me wound up. It is also illegal and they should all do serious time if found guilty

[Jonnyboy]

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Sorry but i think that is a terrible statement. You are condoning cheating and fraud in the one sentence. Call me old fashioned but i prefer my sporting "stars" to try to win not to get booked or sent off. If i thought that someone in a team i was playing for was at this i would punch his lights out. The thought that i could have bust a gut trying to win when some ****bag has agreed to take a red card for cash would really get me wound up. It is also illegal and they should all do serious time if found guilty

This. How anyone could think it's ok for one of their team's players to engineer a red card is beyond me. Shows a total and utter disregard for both the club and its supporters

[hibbybob]

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DJ Campbell now been arrested for match fixing.


Tip of the iceberg.

DJ Campbell has denied match fixing allegations & hopes to be allowed to play in Blackburns 2-2 draw with Millwall next weekend

[wookie70]

If any of the allegations are proved then I would expect lifetime bans. Every action that involves these bets changes a game. The cricketers were essentially giving a run and a free hit away every time they bowled a no ball. Sportsmen have to be clean or the game is a bogey and punishment should be very harsh imo.

[Eyrie]

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DJ Campbell has denied match fixing allegations & hopes to be allowed to play in Blackburns 2-2 draw with Millwall next weekend

Had to read that twice

[lapsedhibee]

Remember Jackie McNamara when he played for Falkirk got sent off about this time of year for inexplicably lashing out with his boot at an opponent? The suggestion on here was that he might have wanted to engineer Christmas off, but who knows?

[Jonnyboy]

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DJ Campbell has denied match fixing allegations & hopes to be allowed to play in Blackburns 2-2 draw with Millwall next weekend

[CyberSauzee]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/9071813/

3 Hayes players suspended for betting.