Isn't the problem the subsidiary interests - such as gambling?
There are financial inducements: but at the salaries of the potential
targets these might be uneconomic for the bribers.
Then there are believable threats - like the Godfather: "I will make
you an offer you cannot refuse" - and a severed head to show that this
needs to be taken seriously.
Then - at the cheap end - there are threats and semi-threats that are
believable and designed to reduce performance: how would you feel as a
top player if, just before a match, you received a message that a
sinister organisation knew where your children went to school - but if
your team lost the match (this only works to decrease performance) no
action would be taken?
There is big money riding on the results in sport: and so there will
always be attempts to influence the outcome.
Same as in all other human activities - including the award of lucrative
contracts.
Mary
In message <039401cb108a$33e136c0$9ba3a440$@pickering>, Sandra Pickering
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>Don't get me wrong, Julian, I am more than happy to believe that any
>'industry' flush with money paid for unquantifiable star quality rather than
>competence, supported by the world's biggest businesses, will inevitably
>contain a proportion of corruption. Most corrupting of all is the
>pernicious message to kids that it is an easy escape from an alternative
>life of drudgery.
>What to do? Don't watch the games. Don't buy the sponsors' products. And,
>above all, don't subscribe to Sky.
>There was a superb programme on R4 today on El Sistema. Learning from
>Venezuela on using music to effect significant social change in 'deprived'
>communities. Exactly the sort of programme that is under threat from the
>ConDems http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sqkgj
>And, while I am on the topic - why is Gove wandering around the world
>looking for Swedish and (dodgy) American experiments in education when his
>own education comes from an excellent system only a few hundred miles from
>Westminster? Maybe he's never got over that incident with the traffic cone.
>;)
>
>Sandra
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: GP-UK [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Julian Bradley
>Sent: 20 June 2010 15:53
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Protecting Footballers
>
>At 14:09 20/06/2010, you wrote:
>>Or maybe they're just rubbish?
>>Julian, I have to say you made my day with that excellent satirical sketch
>>below - thanks and lols galore.
>>
>>Sandra
>
>
>Always happy to entertain - more so as I know very little about
>soccer compared to many.
>
>The wish / expectation that we will win the cup is of course
>optimism, but the expectation that we could produce a football team
>capable of progressing to the knockout stages is not unrealistic and
>does reflect the performance of English football both recently (in
>qualifying) and the players in their club careers.
>
>
>Of course the truth dare not speak its name .... often.
>
>http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/bungs-and-bribes-football-cant-kick-thi
>s-habit-1611274.html
>
>(Note this article refers to many instances of corruption. Those who
>wish to focus on Grobelaar will note he was cleared in a criminal
>trial, but in awarding him UKP 1 damages against the Sun newspaper
>the House of Lords eventually said: "The tort of defamation protects
>those whose reputations have been unlawfully injured. It affords
>little or no protection to those who have, or deserve to have, no
>reputation deserving of legal protection. Until 9 November 1994 when
>the newspaper published its first articles about him, the appellant's
>public reputation was unblemished. But he had in fact acted in a way
>in which no decent or honest footballer would act and in a way which
>could, if not exposed and stamped on, undermine the integrity of a
>game which earns the loyalty and support of millions.")
>
>In Germany there are problems:
>
>http://arthurzbygniew.blogspot.com/2010/02/european-football-murders-and-bri
>bes.html
>
>which quotes articles from Spiegel.
>
>
> From this year there is also:
>
>http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2917932/Chelsea-caught-i
>n-7million-bribes-storm.html
>
>
>There is also an article in the rag below, but whether it is worth
>even a single electron I would not speculate:
>
>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1280581/Lord-Triesmans-Wor
>ld-Cup-bribery-allegations-backed-Russian-player.html
>
>
>I think the cameraman in the recent England match was excellent and
>in a couple of shots focused on really specific things that looked
>odd, not simply players playing below 100%.
>
>
>But hey, what do I know?
>
>Julian
>
--
Mary Hawking
|
