Sports betting and corruption

Sport gambles with its own future as scandal follows where money leads

TO HAVE one sport embroiled in allegations of corruption looks like a misfortune. To have three looks like an epidemic.

However, in the last 12 months that's exactly what has happened, with the governing bodies of football, cricket and snooker all now on the offensive to prove to the paying public their players and the system are beyond reproach.

It's no easy task. The trouble began in May when snooker's world number one, John Higgins, was caught in a News of the World sting and later banned for six months for failing to tell anyone he had been approached about throwing frames.

Not long after, it emerged four men, accused of fixing 32 football matches in several European countries, had been held in custody in Germany since November 2009. Several others are expected to be charged and with nearly 300 matches in 15 countries under the spotlight, it has the potential to be the biggest fraud scandal ever to hit European football.

The summer provided little respite from stories of corruption, with the Test series between England and Pakistan overshadowed by rumours of spot-fixing. The allegations centred on the timing of three no-balls bowled during the Lords Test. It left not only the Pakistan trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir facing charges under cricket's anti-corruption code, but a nasty taste in the mouths of spectators, many of whom voted with their feet.

Add in this week's Panorama programme which accused three FIFA executive committee members of taking bribes during the 1990s and it's hardly been a golden year for sport. However, while the scandals have damaged individual reputations and sport as a whole, the revelations, particularly those surrounding the Pakistan team, came as little surprise to Ian Smith. The Professional Cricket Association's legal director since 2004, he quickly became aware of how pervasive corruption in sport could be.

"Historically, cricket was always seen as a gentleman's game, but when the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal broke in 2000 it shook the foundations of the sport. It made everyone involved face up to what was happening and admit they simply didn't have control of the situation," says Smith, who helped draft the sport's current anti-corruption guidelines.

"The problem was there was nothing to say what actually constituted an offence. We were working backwards and while a lot has improved in the last 10 years I think we're only just beginning to really understand and get a grip on his problem."

As part of his work with the PCA, Smith, who next week will take part in a seminar organised by Leeds law firm FrontRow Legal on the theme of "Sporting Integrity v The Lure of Money", has spoken to everyone from loan sharks to members of the Fraud Squad in an attempt to get a handle on corruption, much of which revolves around illegal betting syndicates.

"I'm not a gambler so it was a steep learning curve, but it soon became clear that cricket, like most other sports, has a deep rooted problem with gambling and addiction," he says.

"A lot of it is to do with replicating the adrenaline they experience on the field when they hit a six. It's exactly the same with footballers, and many sportsmen will tell you, betting is the only thing which comes close.

"When I first started in this role, I used to think that for a player to give up gambling was the same as giving up cigarettes. Now I realise it's as hard as giving up heroin, and once someone is hooked, those who want to corrupt the game have a very easy way in."

In the hope of stopping the problem at grassroots, each year Smith and his team do the rounds of the county grounds, making players aware of the sport's code of practice. This year, the theme was corruption and the dangers of social networking. A few weeks after they had completed their educational tour, the Pakistan scandal broke and Essex fast bowler, Mervyn Westfield, became the first cricketer to appear in court accused of offences relating to spot-fixing and charged with conspiracy to commit fraud.

"Every case of alleged cheating is shocking, but now we have the guidelines in place I do think cricket is in a position to react quickly and effectively," says Smith. "The big challenge for all sports is exposing those behind the syndicates as it's those individuals who really run the show.

"It's particularly a problem in India and Pakistan because while both nations love to gamble, there is no legal betting. The demand is inevitably filled by organised crime."

In the wake of repeated allegations, most sports have now set up anti-corruption units and many of those at the highest level have called for a zero-tolerance approach to cheating. However, while life bans and hefty fines may tick the right boxes in terms of showing the public that cheats won't be tolerated, Smith is not convinced it is a long-term solution.

"I know a lot of cricketers disagree with me and I understand why they think life bans are the only way to stop corruption escalating, but I'm not so sure," he says. "As a lawyer, to me the punishment has to be proportionate to the crime and we have to be consistent. If a player is asked by an elder in the team to, for example, bowl a no-ball and he does, but never receives a penny, should we really ban him for life?

"I'm not saying spot-betting is a victimless crime, it isn't.

"In cricket one run can decide a match, but what I am saying is that it's not a crime against humanity. It's possible to show forgiveness and understanding while still having effective deterrents."

Test Match Special's Jonathan Agnew this week called for a hotline to be set up which commentators like him could call should they witness suspicious play. It sounded like a common- sense suggestion, but according to Smith such a service already exists.

"It's existed for three years, the problem is no-one knows about it," he says. "Anyone can call the anti-corruption unit in complete confidence. The problem is that at the moment its resources and jurisdiction are limited.

"The truth is those guilty of bringing the game into disrepute need to be exposed and often a media sting is the most effective way of doing that."

While corruption and sport are not new bedfellows, the need to crackdown on cheats is a pressing one. Rick Parry, who recently chaired the Government's Sports Betting Inquiry panel, has called for a new gambling unit to be set up to investigate corruption across all sports as well as tougher sanctions on cheats.

"We have to take the toughest possible approach if we want to stamp out cheating," says Parry, who will also be speaking at the seminar. "The integrity of sport is at stake here and there can never be any room for complacency.

"The public has to believe that the sport is clean.

"I think the threat and impact of cheating is potentially as great as doping, so there is absolutely a need for everyone to be on their toes and vigilant."

Sporting Integrity v The Lure of Money, organised by FrontRow Legal will take place at Elland Road, Leeds, on December 10. For further details call 0113 390 7881 or visit www.frontrowlegal.com