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| Belize Players Turned Down Match-Fixing Bribe, Coach Says | Belize Players Turned Down Match-Fixing Bribe, Coach Says |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A few days before Tuesday’s Gold Cup match between Belize and the United States, a man tried to bribe three players from Belize, the team’s coach said Thursday. | A few days before Tuesday’s Gold Cup match between Belize and the United States, a man tried to bribe three players from Belize, the team’s coach said Thursday. |
| Concacaf, the regional governing body that operates the tournament, confirmed that such an incident had been reported and said that the man alleged to have been involved had been identified as someone already being monitored by international soccer officials. | Concacaf, the regional governing body that operates the tournament, confirmed that such an incident had been reported and said that the man alleged to have been involved had been identified as someone already being monitored by international soccer officials. |
| “Initial findings of this investigation have resulted in a positive identification of the individual attempting the bribery,” the statement said. It did not elaborate or give the man’s name. | “Initial findings of this investigation have resulted in a positive identification of the individual attempting the bribery,” the statement said. It did not elaborate or give the man’s name. |
| The players said the man initially approached them in Guatemala City in June, when Belize was preparing to play Guatemala in an exhibition. At the time, the man seemed interested in befriending the players, the team’s American coach, Ian Mork, said in a news conference Thursday. Mork said the man asked about what it was like to play for Belize and expressed an interest in visiting the country. | The players said the man initially approached them in Guatemala City in June, when Belize was preparing to play Guatemala in an exhibition. At the time, the man seemed interested in befriending the players, the team’s American coach, Ian Mork, said in a news conference Thursday. Mork said the man asked about what it was like to play for Belize and expressed an interest in visiting the country. |
| Earlier this week, when Belize was in Portland, Ore., for its match against the United States, the man resurfaced. This time he asked the players to meet him at a mall. The players — Ian Gaynair, Woodrow West and Andres Makin — agreed, but they were surprised when the man offered them money in exchange for a promise to lose the match. | Earlier this week, when Belize was in Portland, Ore., for its match against the United States, the man resurfaced. This time he asked the players to meet him at a mall. The players — Ian Gaynair, Woodrow West and Andres Makin — agreed, but they were surprised when the man offered them money in exchange for a promise to lose the match. |
| “We turned the offer down,” West said in Salt Lake City, where the team will play Costa Rica on Saturday. “We did what we were supposed to. FIFA has control of that now.” | “We turned the offer down,” West said in Salt Lake City, where the team will play Costa Rica on Saturday. “We did what we were supposed to. FIFA has control of that now.” |
| The players walked away from the man and rejected his subsequent offer of money not to tell anyone about the meeting, according to El Guardian, a Belize newspaper. They reported the encounter to team officials, who notified Concacaf. When a Concacaf official showed the players a photograph of a man suspected of trying to fix matches in other countries, they identified him as the same person who had approached them. | The players walked away from the man and rejected his subsequent offer of money not to tell anyone about the meeting, according to El Guardian, a Belize newspaper. They reported the encounter to team officials, who notified Concacaf. When a Concacaf official showed the players a photograph of a man suspected of trying to fix matches in other countries, they identified him as the same person who had approached them. |
| “So this isn’t just about our country or a one-time thing,” Mork said. “This is something much bigger.” | “So this isn’t just about our country or a one-time thing,” Mork said. “This is something much bigger.” |
| On the surface, the idea that a match-fixer would be interested in a game featuring Belize and the United States might seem odd; the teams are hardly of equal quality, and the result — a 6-1 United States victory — was exactly what most observers had assumed would happen. | On the surface, the idea that a match-fixer would be interested in a game featuring Belize and the United States might seem odd; the teams are hardly of equal quality, and the result — a 6-1 United States victory — was exactly what most observers had assumed would happen. |
| But match-fixing is not always simply about wins and losses. Bettors can wager on games during live action (called in-running betting) and can also put money on specific outcomes. History has shown that match-fixers often focus on games where the ultimate result is not in doubt, choosing instead to try to manipulate the final margin between the teams. | But match-fixing is not always simply about wins and losses. Bettors can wager on games during live action (called in-running betting) and can also put money on specific outcomes. History has shown that match-fixers often focus on games where the ultimate result is not in doubt, choosing instead to try to manipulate the final margin between the teams. |
| A tournament like the Gold Cup, where there is a wide gap in quality between some of the participating teams, seems like an obvious target. Match-fixing questions cropped up after the 2011 Gold Cup as well, though Belize is making its first appearance in the tournament this year. | A tournament like the Gold Cup, where there is a wide gap in quality between some of the participating teams, seems like an obvious target. Match-fixing questions cropped up after the 2011 Gold Cup as well, though Belize is making its first appearance in the tournament this year. |
| Twenty-one of the 23 players on the roster do not play professionally, and the team had to hold a number of fund-raisers to cover its expenses for the tournament (the national association is still accepting donations on its Web site). Gaynair, a defender, said the team “did barbecues, did telethons, all kinds of things” to raise money. Members of the team receive only $75 in per diem, $250 a game and a $2,500 base payment for taking part in the tournament — far less than what players from larger countries, like the United States, receive. | |
| “We’re just trying our best to compete at this level,” Mork said. “I could see how they would be targets, I guess, but our minds don’t really go there. It was a big shock.” | “We’re just trying our best to compete at this level,” Mork said. “I could see how they would be targets, I guess, but our minds don’t really go there. It was a big shock.” |