With Man City found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges, I thought I’d look at some of the biggest football scandals to engulf various nations.For Part 2, I thought I’d look outside Europe.I have not included ongoing scandals yet to be resolved.European football’s darkest scandals: Bribes, corruption and match-fixing Part 1From Brazil to Zimbabwe: Match-fixing goes global2005 – Brazil: Whistle MafiaNigel Fayad was already known in the underworld as an illegal gambling kingpin when, in 2005, he attempted to make a fortune by guaranteeing winnings on unregulated betting sites by controlling the outcome.To do this, the businessman monitored lines of credit to see which referees would be most likely tempted by his offer of approximately R$15,000 per match to guarantee a result.Edilson Pereira de Carvalho was R$40,000 in debt, so originally he only needed to manipulate three fixtures to get out of the red, but became greedy.In total, he took charge of 11 games from Brazil’s top flight.When confessing this on live TV, Internacional were on course to be champions, but instead of leaving everyone asking what if, the Superior Court of Sports Justice ordered all 11 matches to be replayed.The new results left Corinthians top of the table.Paulo Jose Denelom was bribed to do the same in the lower division.2007-2009 – Zimbabwe: AsiagateWilson Raj Perumal is known in some circles as one of the most prolific match-fixers.He contacted the CEO of ZIFA to send the Zimbabwe national team on a tour of Asia.What on paper were simple friendlies with the likes of Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Yemen and Thailand were in fact prearranged, with players paid individually and collectively to lose matches based on a Singapore betting syndicate.Offers meant a Zimbabwe player could make more money in one game than they did all year, although some would later testify they felt intimidated into complying, even by their own federation.While an independent committee agreed players were under pressure, they found their actions unforgivable.At executive level, 15 lifetime bans were handed out.Seven players were banned for 10 years, 37 for five, 25 for two years and 62 were handed suspended bans if they paid a fine.China – Li Tie and the Anti-Football Corruption CampaignFor years, much of the Chinese public believed football matches were so corrupt that many found it amusing.Those who were still watching were angry, often rioting at stadiums and clashing with police.Encouraged by the success of the Beijing Olympics, Xi Jinping declared turning China into a footballing superpower as one of his pledges.The president was embarrassed by the country’s reputation for match-fixing, so he ordered a clean-up of the sport to be handled as if his government were dealing with a national security threat.An investigation confirmed that players were accepting payments to influence bets, even intentionally losing games, were betting on themselves or their club to fail, and some were even paying for the honour of being selected to play for their country.Findings estimated that 41 clubs were part of manipulating 120 domestic games.The corruption, though, also included what happened off the pitch.Former national manager Li Tie is serving a 20-year prison sentence after admitting he essentially paid for the privilege of managing his country, would bribe talent to be selected, blacklist those who refused to be corrupted and that the two clubs he got promoted were based on everything around him being manufactured.South Korea and Mexico show the human and financial cost2011 – South Korea: Match-Fixing ScandalKnown as one of the darkest chapters in South Korean sporting history, forget about match-fixing simply questioning the integrity of the football.People went to prison, were banned for life, had reputations tarnished and even committed suicide.The only positive is that it forced the government to radically reform the K League, although at one point there were plans to completely dissolve it based on Lee Myung-bak’s disgust.Believing that corruption was systemic in the country, the president believed this might set an example to the nation.Underground crime families worked with betting syndicates and targeted managers and players to score own goals, get sent off, miss chances, etc.Knowing that the majority of players were on a poor salary, they could earn from one bribe, 20 million, three times their yearly salary.Those on a good wage would be convinced to act as the middleman to help broker a deal with a younger teammate.Refuse, and the Mafia would blackmail you, threaten your family, stalk you and even order peers to bully you in the dressing room.In 2011, Yoon Ki could take the intimidation and threats no more. His body was found in his car, one of four suicides caused by this scandal, which led to an investigation.By the time the prosecution concluded its findings, over 50 players and coaches had been indicted.Reforms included basic pay almost doubling, random lie detector tests, fewer fixtures and heavy criminal penalties.2019 – Mexico: Veracruz CrisisKind of similar to Man City in terms of questions over who was being paid what and by whom, the difference being Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz couldn’t afford long-term to keep up with their own underhanded scheme, and it would cost them their own existence.When signing players, Fidel Kuri would register with Liga MX a value and tax-friendly contract.In reality, he was paying them their actual salary in secret without the government knowing.On the pitch, it was a way to build a squad while manipulating the financial rules.It suited all parties not to pay the tax.That was fine until the owner could no longer afford to pay their official deals, let alone the ones based on a handshake.Because the double contract was a verbal agreement, the players and manager legally had zero grounds for claiming this money.Heading towards bankruptcy anyway, the club were dissolved.Which of these scandals shocked you most? Let us know in the comments.Dan Smith_____________________________________________________________________________________________ADMIN COMMENTSo here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! 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