{"id":244267,"date":"2022-11-20T11:33:36","date_gmt":"2022-11-20T17:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=244267"},"modified":"2022-11-21T13:49:37","modified_gmt":"2022-11-21T19:49:37","slug":"the-world-cup-gets-another-sucker-punch-amid-claims-of-match-fixing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/the-world-cup-gets-another-sucker-punch-amid-claims-of-match-fixing\/","title":{"rendered":"The World Cup Gets Another Sucker Punch Amid Claims of Match-Fixing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The FIFA<\/a> World Cup games are officially here, and the world has not imploded. Qatar is in a battle with Ecuador, and FIFA’s in a battle with the world as it fends off claims of match-fixing.<\/p>\n

\"Ecuador
The Ecuadorian national soccer team celebrates a goal as they kick off the World Cup against Qatar. The soccer competition is mired in controversy as it tries to unite the world. (Image: RTE.ie<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soccer is moved by two forces. One is the passion that this sport generates in millions of people. It’s something magical, 90 minutes (plus any extra) for fans to escape from existence.<\/p>\n

The other force is money. From the million-dollar broadcasting rights of the leagues and tournaments to the paraphernalia of each team, soccer is a vast source of income. Some believe FIFA has been nothing more than a breeding ground for greed, and this allowed a recent rumor of match-fixing<\/a> to run wild. However, the rumor may have been just that and nothing more.<\/p>\n

Throwing the First Kick<\/h2>\n

Someone launched a rumor that Qatar began offering bribes to Ecuadorian players to throw the first game. The team allegedly offered around $47 million if the South American squad would take a dive.<\/p>\n

That rocked FIFA as it still continues to try to clean its tarnished name. However, once everyone began digging into the rumor a little deeper, they found that it wasn’t true.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The source of the story was journalist Amjad Taha, a Bahrain national living in England. The use of journalist with Taha must be taken loosely, as he has a history of distributing false information, according to several media sources.<\/p>\n

\n

Just a heads up if anyone sees a story about Qatar bribing Ecuador 7.4 million to lose the opening game – it started here from a well-known disinformation account who is somehow also the main source in the story @amjadt25<\/a> . It's already got thousands of RTs though pic.twitter.com\/2EjjvqEbBV<\/a><\/p>\n

— Marc Owen Jones (@marcowenjones) November 17, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n