Football is not only exciting matches and great goals, but also various scandals in which world stars were involved. Here are some famous examples.
Diego Maradona
One of the most scandalous incidents was the ‘Hand of God’ at the 1986 World Cup, when Maradona scored a goal with his hand against England, which caused a huge outcry.
In 1994, Maradona was eliminated from the 1994 World Cup in the United States after a positive doping test (SportsBrief).
Luis Suárez
Suárez has been involved in incidents of biting opponents on three occasions, Othman Baakal in 2010, Branislav Ivanović in 2013 and Giorgio Chiellini in 2014, resulting in lengthy disqualifications (SportsBrief).
In 2011, he was suspended for eight matches and fined £40,000 for racially abusing Patrice Evra (SportsBrief).
Karim Benzema
The French striker has been at the centre of two scandals, one involving allegations of attempting to blackmail a former team-mate and the other involving allegations of having sexual relations with an underage prostitute (Footie Central).
Eric Cantona
In 1995, Cantona shocked everyone when he delivered a ‘kung-fu’ punch to a Crystal Palace fan after being sent off the pitch. For this, he received an eight-month suspension and 120 hours of community service (SportsBrief).
Paulo Gascoigne
The British footballer is known for his alcohol and drug problems, which led to multiple arrests and even the loss of his coaching job at Kettering Town FC (SportsBrief).
These examples show that even the most talented footballers can be involved in serious scandals that leave a mark on their career and reputation.
How often scandals occur around football
Football scandals occur quite frequently, and their frequency depends on many factors such as the level of competition, the behaviour of players and officials, and media coverage. In recent decades, significant scandals have affected both national and international tournaments, as well as the personalities of world football. Here are some examples and their frequency:
Financial and corruption scandals
- FIFA and UEFA. Corruption scandals in these organisations emerge with regular frequency. For example, a major corruption scandal around FIFA broke out in 2015 when several high ranking officials were arrested on bribery and money laundering charges (Footie Central) (SportsBrief).
- Club finances. A lot of clubs are facing financial scandals related to mismanagement, tax evasion and other irregularities.
Player behaviour
- Offences on the pitch. Incidents involving unsportsmanlike behaviour such as biting opponents (Luis Suarez), punching fans (Eric Cantona), or simulation happen almost every season (SportsBrief).
- Off the field. A lot of players are caught up in scandals related to their personal lives, such as alcohol or drug addictions, family conflicts and even criminal offences (such as the Karim Benzema case) (Footie Central) (SportsBrief).
Match-fisking
- Arranged match-fixing. These scandals don’t occur very often, but when they do, they severely undermine the credibility of the sport. An example is the Serie A scandal in 2006 (Calciopoli), when several major Italian clubs were found to be involved in match-fixing (Footie Central).
Racism and discrimination
- Incidents in stadiums. Racist remarks and discriminatory incidents in stadiums occur quite frequently despite efforts to prevent them. An example is the Champions League match between PSG and İstanbul Başakşehir in 2020, when players left the pitch in protest against racist comments made by the referee (Footie Central).
These examples show that scandals in football occur with varying degrees of frequency and affect a wide range of aspects of the game, from finances to players’ personal behaviour. Media coverage and social media contribute to the fact that information about scandals spreads faster and attracts more public attention.