CORRUPTION IN FOOTBALL

Nogomet je v zadnjih 25 letih doživel razcvet, kakršnega so pričakovali le redki. O nogometu ne govorimo več le v športnem smislu. Globalizacija in tržna naravnanost sta glavna vzroka za razvoj nogometa, kar pa prinese dobre in slabe stvari. Pri slednjih je zagotovo največji problem korupcija. V športu je prisotna že od samega začetka, a zaradi velikosti nogometne industrije in izpostavljenosti je pod vprašanjem osnova vsakega športa – športni duh. V diplomskem delu smo analizirali tri najpogostejše in v zadnjem obdobju najbolj izpostavljene oblike korupcije v nogometu. To so nameščanje tekem, nezakonite stavnice in korupcija na organizacijskem nivoju. Zaradi obojestranskih koristi je korupcijska dejanja težko zaznati in izmeriti. Preko pregleda aktualnih afer v Sloveniji in svetu ter razpoložljivih virov s področja domnevno nameščenih tekem, bomo poskušali razumeti obliko in obseg korupcije v nogometu pri nas. S tem namenom smo opravili tudi razgovor z g. Tonijem Cahunkom, igralcem, komentatorjem športnih dogodkov in avtorjem dokumentarca Svet stav. Azijski stavni sindikati, ki nadzirajo svetovni trg z nezakonitimi stavami, imajo močan vpliv pri nameščanju tekem. V diplomskem delu smo potrdili prisotnost sodelavcev sindikatov tudi v slovenskem prostoru. Napačno bi bilo sklepati, da je Slovenija imuna na koruptivna dejanja v nogometu. Potrebno bo storiti več na preventivni dejavnosti, mednarodnem sodelovanju in tudi na zakonskem področju, če želimo biti uspešni v boju s korupcijo.Football has flourished in the last 25 years in a way few imagined. When talking about football, we have to keep in mind that there is more to it than just sports. Globalization and market orientation are the main reasons for its growth. With it come upsides and downsides. A major problem with the latter is corruption. It is present in sports from its beginning, but because of the industry that surrounds it and its exposure, it undermines the basics of sportsmanship. In the thesis we analyzed the most common and most exposed forms of corruption in football. These include match-fixing, illegal gambling and corruption in the higher levels of football officials. Due to mutual benefits of both parties involved, crimes of corruptions are very hard to detect and measure. Through analysis of recent cases of corruption in Slovenia and worldwide, along with available sources of data from fixed matches, we will try to understand the forms and extent of domestic corruption in football. With this in mind, we conducted an interview with actor, sports announcer and author of the documentary Svet stav (World of Betting) Mr. Toni Cahunek. Asian betting syndicates, which control the world’s illegal betting market, have a major influence on match-fixing. In the thesis we confirmed the presence of associates of betting syndicates in Slovenia. It would be wrong to assume that Slovenia is immune to corruption in football. More needs to be done in prevention, international cooperation and on the legislative field if we are to be successful in the fight against corruption