Argentine FIFA attack-dog Julio Grondona faces huge embarrassment after the world governing body's match-fixing unit opened a probe into his homeland's friendly defeat in Nigeria.

Grondona led the assault on the FA and the British media "lies" in Zurich this week after the failed attempt to delay President Sepp Blatter's re-election coronation.

But Grondona's demand to "leave the FIFA family alone" looked a sick joke after a second-string Argentine side, which included Manchester City's Pablo Zabaleta, Liverpool's Emiliano Insua and former Wigan striker Mauro Boselli got beaten 4-1 in Lagos on Wednesday.

The match contained two disputed penalty decisions by referee Ibrahim Chaibou from Niger, including one in the 98th minute of the game for a 'ghost' handball that saw Boselli score a consolation goal.


That penalty saw hundreds of thousands of pounds which had been wagered worldwide on trading exchanges on there being less than five goals in the game suddenly lost to syndicates.

VIDEO: Watch the match highlights here and decide for yourself

FIFA confirmed last night that a full-scale investigation is under way.

A FIFA spokesman told MirrorSport: "FIFA can confirm that the match between Nigeria and Argentina is one that we have an active interest in, and forms part of a wider ongoing FIFA investigation.

"In particular, FIFA will be working closely with colleagues at the FIFA Early Warning System."

The news of the investigation is a massive problem for Blatter loyalist Grondona, who is also being sued by Diego Maradona over claims the former Argentina coach is still suffering drug problems.

Grondona, who sparked outrage when he said "we know the Jews don't like hard work", also offered to vote for England's 2018 World Cup bid if Argentina were handed the Falkland Islands.

Blatter himself hit back at his British critics yesterday, suggesting that the corruption allegations "astonishingly, always comes from the same corners" although admitting: "I have been given good a beating and I have two cauliflower ears."

The Swiss is ready to sanction a re-opening of the decision to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup after major sponsors Adidas joined German FA chief Theo Zwanziger in demanding the allegations of corruption be investigated.

In a statement, the sportswear giant pledged its continued loyalty to FIFA, but added: "The negative tenor of the public debate around FIFA at the moment is neither good for football nor for FIFA including its partners and we hope that FIFA will do its best to reach clarity on the allegations soon."

And Blatter pointed at the claims against his suspended rivals Mohamed Bin Hammam and Jack Warner to promise major change as he added: "In the executive are people who are chosen by the confederations.

"After two members were suspended in November, I knew I must do something. As for the allegations about corruption, I have already said I would deal with this after the Fifa Congress."



http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Argentine-FIFA-bigwig-Julio-Grondona-faces-huge-embarrassment-after-launch-match-fixing-probe-into-Argentina-4-1-loss-Nigeria-article744132.html

I don talk am, the argentine players body language and attitude was just not it at all. The same argentina team that walloped Paraguay 4-2 while playing some fantastic football. I thought during the game that it was dehydration, but let's wait for the result of the investigation

Well, well, well. I smelt a rat when the referee gave 5 minutes of extra time after a second half that saw no injuries or any significant break in the match. My suspicions were raised when the match went on to the 98th minute and I finally realised that something wrong was going on, when the ref made that strange penalty decision. In my opinion that referee should be thoroughly investigated and even if he is not guilty of any wrongdoing, he should be fined and suspended for some time to punish him for the way he handled that match. It was disgraceful, and brought the game into disrepute. Apparently the same ref was involved in a similar football scandal in Bahrain last year.

Seun, this one should make a front page please.

News just in on the Fifa Probe from the Jakarta Post Newspaper

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/06/04/fifa-probes-argentinas-trashing-nigeria.html


This excerpt from the article makes rather interesting reading:

Chaibou is one of the most experienced FIFA-approved referees with 15 years' service on the international list.

Now this is the same match referee who allowed 5 minutes of injury time to run on for another 3 minutes and gave a penalty decision that an amateur referee in a village match would not have given.

Yeye dey smell badly.

Investigate the ref

kulutempa:

Well, well, well.  I smelt a rat when the referee gave 5 minutes of extra time after a second half that saw no injuries or any significant break in the match.   My suspicions were raised when the match went on to the 98th minute and I finally realised that something wrong was going on, when the ref made that strange penalty decision.  In my opinion that referee should be thoroughly investigated and even if he is not guilty of any wrongdoing, he should be fined and suspended for some time to punish him for  the way he handled that match.  It was disgraceful, and brought the game into disrepute.  Apparently the same ref was involved in a similar football scandal in Bahrain last year.

Dude you're getting it wrong.  The probe is about whether the Argentines were paid to lose. 
Nothing the referee did suggests that he was involved, so I don't know what you're saying.

Seun:

Dude you're getting it wrong.  The probe is about whether the Argentines were paid to lose. 
Nothing the referee did suggests that he was involved, so I don't know what you're saying.

Wait a minute. So a ref extending extra time and awarding a dodgy penalty does not suggest he was involved in something shady? And if the Argentines were paid to lose, then isn't it strange that the Argentine penalty taker who scored their consolation goal in extra extra time did not blast the unexpected penalty wide over the bar. Mister, what I am saying is that the ref in that game showed that he wanted a particular result in the dying minutes of the game. That and the Argentines wanting to lose is like the difference between day and night. Get it?

The issue at hand is Nigeria's unexpected win. A penalty kick awarded against Nigeria doesn't support the notion that the referee was paid to favor Nigeria. The referee didn't score the goals, and he wasn't part of the defense that failed to stop the goals. He did not favor Nigeria in the match. He gave one penalty to Nigeria and one penalty to Argentina. So whatever you think of his officiating, it's a completely different issue from this topic.

the ref, argentines and even some naija players could all have been in on some deal to throw the match. apparently some bookies had predicted a 4-1 score line.

some persons somehow somewhere made £$££$ from that score line.

[size=28pt]Has FIFA finished investigating Sepp Blatter?[/size]

FIFA has a terminal illness!

LMAO, I knew that 4-1 goal had some story to it

sumtin is really rung with fifa

The same Nigerian team almost lost to Ethiopia in a nations cup qualifier, the Argentines and the ref are the ones to be investigated.
That ref was involved in some kind of Ojoro

Na today? E don tey.

Remember Arsenal Vs Liverpool, why was the referee not charged by the English FA? Abeg make I sidon dey look.

una dey mad, so if they had given us 3-0 then all will be alrite?

How embarassing!
I did wonder how we managed to beat them so much. Now I know.

I know a little bit of sports betting and I have written several articles to that effect for some foreign newspapers.

Betting on a football match is not just based on win, lose or draw. You can bet on whether a team will score, how many goals will be scored in a match, or if 5 goals are scored, what will the goal distribution be like (3-2, 4-1, 5-0), etc.

You can also bet if a goal will be scored in the last five minutes of a game. Sports betting is big business, and many syndicates make money off it.

Referees sometimes participate in sports betting, and even though this is frowned on, what stops a referee recruiting a relative to open a betting account on his behalf, for him to start the "wangling" of results on the pitch?

Match fixing is not limited to one team being paid to lose.

Sometimes, a bet can be placed on if a star player will lose a penalty if he takes one in a game or in penalty shootout. If that player is in on the betting fraud, he can decide to play the penalty according to how he bet on it.

Unfortunately, this is the consequence of so much money being splashed around in football. Betting companies have designed so many betting techniques and products that control is now very difficult.

A typical football betting site I know has betting for almost any league in the world, including the Nigerian Premier League! IS THAT NOT INCREDIBLE?

Is anyone in the NFF looking in that direction?

We won Argentina only to draw with Ethopia. I'm waiting to hear the full march analysis

FIFA to investigate !!!

LMAO !!!  

vislabraye:

We won Argentina only to draw with Ethopia. I'm waiting to hear the full march analysis

This sure puts the 4-1 victory over the argies into perspective. At the end of the day it was merely a friendly.

which is the real eagles? The one that lost to Togo, the team that wallop Argentina or the one that drew witH Ethiope?

i think it wasn't about the argies being paid to lose. it was about the number of goals scored in the match. lots of people placed bets that there would be less than five goals in the game. At the end of normal time, it there were four goals, all four being scored by Nigeria. Then in the 8th minute of five minutes extra time, the ref awarded an outrageous penalty which the argentines scored to take it to 4-1 making a total of guess what? Five goals! and lots of lost bets. See how the ref could be complicit, seun?

That referee needs to be punished for poor officiating. Little wonder african referees don't cut it on the global scale.

FIFA is beginning to loose it.

If the allegations are true then well all need to go on 40days fasting and prayer for God to deliver us from corruption.

ARES:

una dey mad, so if they had given us 3-0 then all will be alrite?

Seconded!!! They are really mad. If the scoreline was in favour of the Argentines, then it wouldn't have been Ojoro. It is normal for Argentina to beat Nigeria but abnormal for Nigeria to beat Argentina. We won and it should be investigated. una and FIFA dey mad truly.

Nigerians look at this very well,I can conveniently say that i think the Argentina and Nigerian FAs and teams have nothing to do with this
the ref is totally on this by himself
if you all noticed,the last 10mins of the game,both teams were ready to go to the showers and when the ref blew the whistle for the penalty,both teams were surprised
ITS ALL ON THE REF