Fixed World Cup Game Doubted

FIFA has cast doubts on allegations made by a German magazine that a World Cup group game between Cameroon and Croatia had been fixed.

FIFA is demanding that Der Spiegel provide details of all its conversations with convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal to prove the June 18 game had been fixed.  Cameroon lost 4-0.

‘‘The article has put the integrity of FIFA World Cup matches in question, which is a serious allegation,’’ FIFA director of security Ralf Mutschke said in a statement read out at a briefing at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Der Spiegel alleges that Perumal contacted the magazine via a Facebook chat, stating that he “knew what was going to happen” in that game.  The match-fixer reportedly predicted the exact score of the Croatia-Cameroon game.  He also correctly predicted that a player would be sent off during the first half.

But Perumal himself has denied he made any such predictions. 

FIFA says it had found no suspicious activity around Cameroon-Croatia or any other game in Brazil.
‘‘As mentioned on various occasions, FIFA has carefully monitored all 56 games to date and will continue to monitor the remaining eight matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup,’’ Mutschke’s statement said. ‘‘So far, we have found no indication of any match manipulation on the betting market.’’

- Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com