MATCH FIXING SCANDAL
Last week, a two-time European
Cup winner gave an online broadcast interview where he openly discussed playing in matches that had been “manipulated”. Former Romanian international Miodrag Belodedici, above, won the European Cup with Steaua Bucharest in 1986 and Red Star Belgrade in 1991. He was the first man to win the trophy with two different teams. The 54-year-old also spent a four-year spell in Spain with Valencia, Vallodolid and Villarreal. The international player – who served 10 years in jail for treason leaving Romania for Yugoslavia – spoke openly about how he and his team-mates would act in matches which had been fixed. The defender said he would deliberately give attackers extra space and stand off them to give them a chance to score, adding he did it in a way that meant fans
didn’t realise. Earlier this year, Ladbrokes Coral and Kindred Group – whose betting firm, 32 Red, are the shirt sponsors of Rangers FC – joined a growing list of betting operators buying stats via Football Dataco.
In recent years bet365, Betfred, GVC, Paddy Power, Betfair, Skybet and William Hill have all signed agreements with Football Dataco.
In January, Football Dataco’s boss Adrian Ford said: “British football is a cornerstone of betting businesses, with Football Dataco’s high-quality data a key component in driving turnover.”
Charities say they have increasing concerns over football’s ties with in-play betting. Marc Etches, of Gamble Aware, said: “I feel we are reaching a tipping point. Football bosses should be thinking about the sport’s reputation when hitching its wagon to the gambling industry.
“Betting on live football matches is a growing concern. We are increasingly seeing advertising for it on TV and online as well as increasing numbers who are betting that way. What impact is this having on not only problem gamblers but children watching matches?” According to the UK Government’s Gambling Commission there are 430,000 adult problem gamblers in the UK. Worryingly, 370,000 children aged 11 to 16 gamble each week and 25,000 of those are classed as problem gamblers.
Football has overtaken horse racing in the gambling stakes with its betting worth an estimated £1.4 billion a year. Politicians have warned Scottish football bosses they have a duty to address their over-reliance on betting funds.
Scottish Conservative MSP Annie Wells said: “Everyone accepts times are tight and Scottish football can’t afford to turn its nose up at willing sponsors. However, the sheer over-dependence on betting firms is glaring, and has to be of concern.
“It’s almost impossible to hear reference to the league and cup competitions without their betting backers being mentioned. It’s very obvious that people struggling with a gambling problem, many of whom follow sport, will not be helped by this relentless exposure.” In England, the Football Association ended its £4m-ayear deal with Ladbrokes in 2017 after deciding it could no longer justify having a betting partner. The SPFL said: “Investment by bookmakers in recent years has benefited all 42 clubs and supported the growth of Scottish football. They share a positive vision for the future of our game and together, we will continue to promote a message of responsible gambling.”
Football Dataco says it has two main markets – supplying stats to the media and to bookies. It uses another company called Perform which collates the information for them, using thousands of data scouts they employ around the world. These scouts, who are selfemployed, use handheld devices and mobile phones to record what’s happening in a match.
Around 95% of events are transmitted out of the stadium within one second before making their way to the bookies, who alter their live odds accordingly. There are currently five vacancies for data scouts across Scotland, with pay starting at just under £40 per match.