French football bribery scandal

Bernard Tapie, who organised the bribe, as a way of keeping Marseille players fresh for the 1993 UEFA Champions League Final.
Jean-Jacques Eydelie, who was the conduit for the bribery scandal.

The French football bribery scandal (French: Affaire VA-OM) was a scandal involving bribery in a 1993 French Division 1 match between Olympique de Marseille and Valenciennes. The scandal led to the 1992–93 French Division 1 title being taken away from Marseille.

Context

Prior to the 1992–93 French Division 1 season, Olympique de Marseille had won the previous four French Division 1 championships.[1][2] Marseille had qualified for the 1993 UEFA Champions League Final against A.C. Milan, and were also close to winning the French Division 1 title.[1]

Marseille won their match against Valenciennes 1–0 to secure the 1992–93 French Division 1 title and later won the 1993 UEFA Champions League Final 1–0 against A.C. Milan.[3]

Allegations

In May 1993, it was alleged that Marseille had bribed Valenciennes to deliberately lose the match between the two sides, in order that the Marseille team could be better prepared for their Champions League Final a few days later. Bernard Tapie asked footballer Jean-Jacques Eydelie to act as conduit, with money being offered to Valenciennes players Jacques Glassmann, Jorge Burruchaga and Christophe Robert. Robert's wife collected the money from Eydelie.[1][3][4] Glassman refused to partake in the bribe, and was later awarded a FIFA Fair Play award for his actions.[5] In his 2006 book, Eydelie described the event as such: "Bernard Tapie said to us, 'It is imperative that you get in touch with your former Nantes team-mates at Valenciennes (there were two of them including Burruchaga). We don't want them acting like idiots and breaking us before the final with Milan."[1] During a raid, 250,000 francs were found in Robert's aunt's garden.[3][6]

Other allegations

After the allegations of bribery, the CSKA Moscow coach claimed that Marseille had tried to bribe him in a 1992–93 UEFA Champions League group stage match, although this allegation was later withdrawn.[6] In a 2011 ITV interview, Rangers footballer Mark Hateley alleged that he had been offered money by Marseille to not play in the Champions League match between the two sides.[7][8] In 2006, Eydelie also made doping allegations that prior to the 1993 Champions League final, he and other Marseille players were given injections.[9][10]

Immediate aftermath

Tapie initially claimed that the 250,000 francs were a loan for Robert to start a restaurant, although on 17 June, Robert later admitted that the money was related to bribery.[11][12][13] On 30 June, French police raided the headquarters of Marseille Football Club.[14] Eydelie, Burruchaga and Robert were placed under police investigation for complicity in corruption; Robert was later arrested in Périgueux.[15]:74[12] In September, the French Football Federation removed Marseille's French Division 1 title, and UEFA prevented Marseille from competing in the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, 1993 European Super Cup and the 1993 Intercontinental Cup. The French Football Federation also suspended Eydelie, Robert and Burruchaga.[1][16][17][18] The French Division 1 title was offered to Paris Saint Germain who refused it, and so no team is classed as winning the title that season.[19][20][21] Tapie was replaced by Bernard Moreau as President of Olympique de Marseille.[22]

Trial

The trial into the bribery scandal took place in March 1995 in Valenciennes, with the verdict being delivered on 15 May 1995.[15]:75 During the trial, Tapie admitted to lying, but claimed that it was in good faith; he also said that the money that he had offered Valenciennes had come from the ticket money for their Champions League final.[23][24] Tapie was sentenced to over two years in prison; eight months of the sentence was for match fixing, and another eighteen months for fraud in the club's accounts. He served six months, and was also fined 20,000 francs.[2][3][25] Jean-Pierre Bernes (the general manager of Marseille), Eydelie, Robert and Burruchaga were all also given prison sentences and fined; Eydelie's prison sentence was a suspended sentence.[3][26]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Adams, Tom (10 March 2011). "The shame of Marseille". ESPN FC. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 Dauncey, Hugh; Hare, Geoff (1999). France and the 1998 World Cup: The National Impact of a World Sporting Event. Psychology Press. pp. 61–62. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Scott-Elliott, Robin (23 February 2011). "The story of Marseilles' tainted 1993 Cup triumph". The Independent. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  4. ↑ Bouchet, Christophe (1994). Tapie, l'homme d'affaires (in French). Éditions du Seuil.
  5. ↑ Murray, Scott; Walker, Ronan (2008). Day of the Match: A History of Football in 365 Days. Macmillan Publishers. p. 148. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  6. 1 2 Bidwell, Nick (12 July 1993). "Football: Scandal leaves a stain on the white shirt of Marseille: Allegations of match-fixing, of franc-filled envelopes buried in gardens are threatening to dethrone the kings of French football". The Independent. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  7. ↑ "Ligue des champions 1993: nouvelles accusations de Hateley contre l'OM". 20 Minutes (in French). 24 February 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  8. ↑ Lambert, Maxime (23 February 2011). "Un ancien joueur des Rangers accuse l'OM de corruption en 1993 Partager sur Facebook43Recevoir la newsletter". Gentside Sport (in French). Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "UEFA to probe Marseille '93 allegations". ESPN FC. 23 January 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  10. ↑ "Tapie takes legal action over doping allegations". The Daily Telegraph. 25 January 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  11. ↑ Wilson, John K; Pomfret, Richard (September 2014). Public Policy and Professional Sports: International and Australian Experiences. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 126. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  12. 1 2 Zègre, Laurent (7 July 2013). "20 ans après l'affaire VA-OM : l'ex-joueur Christophe Robert toujours hanté par le match truqué". Sud Ouest (in French). Retrieved 10 July 2016. (subscription required (help)).
  13. ↑ Glassman, Jacques (2003). Foot et moi la paix (in French). Calmann-Lévy. p. 73.
  14. ↑ Belin, Philippe (1995). Le menteur de Marseille ? (in French). J. Grancher. p. 78.
  15. 1 2 Lestrelin, Ludovic (2010). L'autre public des matchs de football. Sociologie des supporters à distance de l'Olympique de Marseille (in French). Éditions de l'École des hautes études en sciences ciales.
  16. ↑ Gerschel, Christophe (1994). Les groupements sportifs professionnels : aspects juridiques (in French). L.G.D.J. p. 358.
  17. ↑ Canal+ a refusé le titre de champion pour le PSG car la chaîne cryptée ne voulait pas se fâcher avec ses abonnés de province (in French). Mango Sport. 2003. pp. 131–133.
  18. ↑ Warren, Dan (14 July 2006). "The worst scandal of them all". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  19. ↑ Diallo, Raf (9 March 2016). "When PSG were put in an awkward position after Marseille's scandal-fueled fall from grace". News Talk. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  20. ↑ "THE GREATEST FRENCH CLUB SIDES OF ALL TIME – PART 3". French Football Weekly. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  21. ↑ Goldblatt, David; Acton, Johnny; Garland, Mike (September 2009). The Football Book. Dorling Kindersley. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  22. ↑ Turpin, Eric (20 May 2013). "20 ans après l'affaire VA-OM". France Bleu Nord (in French). Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  23. ↑ "Bernard Tapie". Le Figaro. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  24. ↑ Leauthier, Alan (21 May 1997). "Tapie le dit: VA-OM était truqué. Au procès des comptes du club marseillais, il n'a pu éluder la corruption.". Libération (in French). Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  25. ↑ "IMF faces losing second French boss". The Daily Telegraph. 10 March 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  26. ↑ "Affaire VA-OM : Bernard Tapie en prison". Linternaute (in French). Retrieved 10 July 2016.
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