As a nation, we cherish sport not only for the entertainment it provides, but also because of the important life skills imparted- being competitive, upholding the ‘Corinthian spirit’ in terms of fair play, good sportsmanship and hard work. We often see sport as pure, innocent and seemingly immune from all the malevolent forces that cast a pall over modern-day society.
However sport succumbs to the same sort of pressures. Third-party arrangements, match-fixing and drug cheats have entered the sporting lexicon for all the wrong reasons. QPR fell foul of third-party arrangements when they signed Alejandro Faurlin in 2009. The West London side were fined £875,000 but kept the Championship title and will return to the Premier League again after a 15-year absence.
Sport.co.uk delves deep to look at the Top Ten shocking moments in the past decade when sports such as cricket, football and tennis incurred the wrath of the public for all the wrong reasons.
Hansie Cronje (2000)
A talented all-rounder who represented his native South Africa in a record 53 Tests and 138 one-day internationals spanning over eight years, crossed the boundaries of fair play when he accepted bribes to fix matches. He reportedly accepted bribes totalling £65,000 during his international career, one of them being the memorable Centurion Test against England in 2000. Cronje was later found guilty of mal-practice and the King Commission investigating the claims, stripped him of his captaincy and gave him a life ban. After a failed appeal against his ban, Cronje died tragically two years in a plane crash, though his death is shrouded in mystery.
Amir, Asif and Butt (2010)
The troublesome trio caused rancour at Lords in their test series against England last summer. The crime of spot-fixing was reportedly levied at them after they were exposed in an undercover investigation by the News of the World, but they vehemently denied any wrong-doing. It was particularly sad for 19-year-old pace bowler Mohammad Amir who had already taken 51 test wickets, to see his career left in tatters. England prevailed in the test series, but their victory was overshadowed by this serious misdemeanour. The guilty party were charged accordingly, with Amir handed a five-year ban. Mohammad Asif was given a seven-year- ban with Salman Butt receiving the stiffest sentence- banned for 10 years for alleged spot-fixing.
Nelson Piquet (2009)
Formula 1 often excites fans with its thrills and spills, but the sport was plunged into turmoil when a young driver bent the rules. Renault driver Nelson Piquet was reportedly at the centre of a controversy, in which he was blamed for causing a crash at Belgium Grand Prix as part of a plan to ensure his team-mate, and two-time World Champion, Fernando Alonso, won the race. Unfortunately the Spaniard didn’t get his hands on a third title, as Jenson Button was crowned world champion. Renault seemed to come out relatively unscathed from the charade. The constructors were effectively cleared of their guilt after being given a two-year suspended ban with now QPR owner, Flavio Briatore banned indefinitely from F1 activities.
Floyd Landis (2006)
Since the Tour de France started in 1903, the most prestigious cycling race has captured the imagination of the public. However, in the past 40 years, the race has become synonymous for riders trying to gain an extra competitive edge to win, resorting to illegitimate methods. The American Floyd Landis earned the coveted yellow jersey in 2006, but his dream was shattered. Unfortunately he became the first tour winner to allegedly fail a drugs test after using performance-enhancing drugs. Landis was subsequently stripped of his title and in addition to that, he was given a two-year ban for breaking the rules.
Richard Gasquet (2009)
The then ranked world number 23 dubbed “Baby Federer”, had a bright future ahead of him after turning professional in 2002. But things turned sour for the Frenchman when he reportedly tested positive for cocaine. Surprisingly it was found in a urine sample he took but there was no trace of the substance in the hair sample he provided. As a result, Gasquet had to face the music and was banned by the tennis authorities for ten weeks. Gasquet allegedly claimed he failed the test because he inhaled the drug when kissing a young woman in a LA nightclub.
John Higgins (2010)
This redoubtable Scotsman, known to his fans as the ‘Wizard of Wishaw’, saw his career take a turn for the worse late last year. Higgins was exposed by an undercover reporter for the News of the World for allegedly failing to report an illegal approach from a bookie. However he didn’t get off Scot-free. No, the 35-year-old was fined £75,000 and banned for six months. However, Higgins found his form on the table, clinching the UK Championship and then going on to win last month his fourth world title, taking him to third spot in the list of serial winners and only Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry have been crowned champions on more occasions.
Serie A match-fixing (2006)
Also known as ‘Calciogate’, Italian giants Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio found themselves in the dock after conspiring to fix matches. The incident was brought to the attention of the authorities after a series of phone hacks and transcriptions published in the papers on the matter. All the clubs concerned were severely hit in terms of punishment. Juventus had their Serie A title taken away from them and were relegated to Serie B like Lazio and Fiorentina after incurring a 30 point penalty deduction. The staff of the three clubs also incurred significant bans for their roles in the match-fixing.
Carlos Tevez affair (2006)
Signed for West Ham United along with fellow Argentinian Javier Mascherano for an undisclosed fee in the 2006 summer transfer window, the Hammers found themselves in hot water with the Premier League. After an investigation into the findings, West Ham were slapped with a hefty fine of £5.5m, but did not incur a points deduction. As a result, they survived on the final day of the 2006/07 season with a win away at Old Trafford, infuriating Sheffield United fans whose side were relegated. Tevez and Mascherano have gone their separate ways, as they ply their trade at Manchester City and Barcelona respectively.
Luton Town (2008)
Luton Town reportedly brought the game into disrepute in 2007, after an investigation discovered financial irregularities at the club. The FA threw the book at the club, docking them 20 points for their misconduct, and this had been compounded by the fact that they had been relegated from League One the previous season. On top of that, the club were fined £50,000.
Graham Bradley (2005)
This jockey had reportedly had a number of run-ins and bust-ups with the authorities, his racing career was colourful to say the least. His crime book was quite long, as he had allegedly been implicated in race-fixing and failing to put in sufficient effort in other races to ensure his horse lost. Bradley took part in a special Panorama programme a few years ago looking into the scandalous operation of race-fixing. The Jockey Club took a dim view of Bradley’s activities and he was lucky to have his original sentence of an eight year ban shortened to five.