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When the outcome of match results is manipulated by organizers or betting companies, it is referred to as match-fixing, even at times the football players are also involved in the illegal manipulation of the results. There are serious consequences when caught in a match-fixing scandal, one can be banned from the sport or a criminal prosecution with a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment.

Most match-fixing is motivated by gambling, betting sites need to make money to pay off team officials, referees and players to lose a certain match, especially teams that gamblers have placed their stakes on. Identifying a fixed match is not that easy but through betting sites, one may identify a fixed match by noticing sudden betting odds but there is no pre-determined way of identifying a fixed match. It is not all about betting when it comes to match-fixing, some matches may be fixed so that a team can win a competition /qualify for a competition or even prevent a certain team from the relegation spot.

According to the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), less than 1% of football matches are suspected to be fixed and football is the most targeted sport by international organized crime since crimes like money laundering, extortion and drug trafficking have a wide connection in sports.

The most targeted matches are the lower-level competition, where players have lower salaries and are easily approached for bribery. The main two reasons why there is match-fixing in football are financial gain and sporting advantage.

Here is a list of five counties known associated with match-fixing:

1. China- from 2009 to 2011 there have been investigations revealing many match-fixing scandals that occurred between 2003 and 2009 in the Chinese top-tier Leagues.
2. Italy- the well-known scandal is the “Calciopoli” in 2006 that led Juventus relegated.
3. Kenya- in 2019 an ex-international player George Owino was banned for life by FIFA due to match manipulation.
4. South Korea- not only football is match fixed but also baseball and volleyball and the government and sports organizers are working together to tackle match-fixing.
5. Belgium- in 2018 fourteen people including two referees were arrested and charged in a match-fixing investigation.