For those following the recent Pakistan cricket scandal, you will recall seeing a man counting out a large sum of money (on camera) in a News of the World sting, this same man predicting when 2 “no-balls” would occur in the test match (which happened exactly as he said they would). One of the players was found to have some of the money (which was marked) in his bag. This is the new corruption in sport.
Had this of happened to you or me, we would already be sitting in jail and the jailer would have thrown away the key.
News reports have continually used the term “alleged offence” when discussing this scandal, yet we can all see that a crime has taken place. How much more proof is needed to charge the people involved with a crime?
We have heard that Pakistani cricketers get paid less than others in their sport, as if this is some excuse. Considering the cost of living in Pakistan, their salaries are very good in comparison.
It has been said that one of the players involved may have been put under pressure to take part in this scam. Is that another good reason?
When working for a casino in Russia (as a General Manager), I was also approached by a man to “turn a blind eye” to a scam he wanted to operate, in exchange for a financial reward. The deal would probably have been worth five times my salary at the time, but I said NO! The thought that this man had the power to “remove” me from my role did not enter my thoughts, nor did the temptation of making some extra money on the side.
Some may consider my decision foolish, but that’s the way I am, and the way any honest person would react.
It would be wrong to assume that Pakistan is the only country involved in scams of this nature, they are not. Strange sporting results are becoming more and more frequent.
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One could question many of the football results in the recent World Cup, or those “red-hot” favourites that fail miserably in horse races. We could also speculate as to why so many horses are withdrawn at the last moment, which can affect the number of places that a bookie pays out on, or the odds paid on a horse that is placed.
There are many athletes that are clearly taking drugs to enhance their performance, yet they remain untouched.
Perhaps the only way to eliminate corruption from the sport is to remove gambling from these events altogether and limit the financial rewards given to certain sports people, to lessen the incentive for cheating.