How corrupt is English football?

[Carl Sagan]

Given the billions of pounds involved in the Premier League, I think it's naive to believe that officials and players aren't bribed or intimidated. Especially when you look at the alleged track record of some of the owners and what it's claimed they got up to in other jurisdictions.

An example of shocking decisions that have consequences which run into millions of pounds came yet again with some extraordinary VAR calls. But sometimes it's on the field. For instance, Huddersfield had two stonewall penalties not given against the gumps in last season's playoff final - some people were not surprised. But it's unlikely if anyone will ever know if decisions such as these are deliberate or simply poor officiating.

My old man has spoken to quite a few referees he knows or has met about this, and most acknowledge it's an issue but all are reluctant to speak about it.

And it must be the case with players too. As well as the riches at the top of the pyramid, there's the betting side to this with cartels trying to make money anywhere they can throughout the leagues. When people are allowed to bet on things within player's control, players must be approached to kick the ball into touch early when "don't worry, it's not affecting the result of the match". Like deliberately bowling a no ball for instance. We know plenty of players are under pressure with addictions of one form or another, and that's an obvious lever nefarious parties can use to co-opt them into deliberately doing things they shouldn't on the field.

This might be a difficult topic to discuss on the forum legally (in which case I understand if it's removed), but I wondered if it was possible to gauge how prevalent people think it is.

It's often said "sunlight is the best disinfectant". It's widely acknowledged (but bizarrely not implemented) that VAR would be improved if fans knew what was going on and if incidents were shown on the big screens in grounds with the VAR officials and the referee miked up so fans could hear the discussion. As happens in rugby and cricket. But this transparency would surely also help battle any corruption or incompetence as it would be much harder for a VAR official to forget to check for an offside in such a public arena.

[Sparkle]

Where there is money there are cheats 

[Bris Vegas]

Of course there is influence throughout football. It’s a business after all, and with that comes power.

One of the worst cases I can remember was when Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich 4-2 in the CL.

Two of Real Madrid’s goals were clearly offside, while Bayern calls for a clear penalty were waved off. Throw in Casemiro committing NINE fouls and getting just one yellow card and Arturo Vidal getting sent off for a clean tackle (second booking) and it’s blatantly obvious what went off.

No officiating is that bad.

There is a reason why they won’t mike up refs and allow viewers to see the VAR process.

How much is an official’s salary? Evidently not much as most have other paying jobs. 

Most match-fixing scandals occur with lesser paid professionals. It wouldn’t be difficult to tempt officials with life-changing money either.