http://www.mid-day.com/sports/2013/feb/040213-champions-league-tie-fixed-football-match-fixing-scam-uncovered-in-europe.htm

This latest bust in European soccer league is that hundreds of soccer games have been fixed(Including championship matches), I dont believe the NFL fixes games but I think its possible that the NFL could have let this happened one time. I mean pittsburgh winning would easily produce more revenue just because they have a much larger fan base.

Just food for thought.

I hate the fact that I do think this is a possibility.

_________________
Tanzania¹²

Also got to remember that half of Europe is as bent as a nine bob note.

(Not us, mind)

Not to mention FIFA is one of the most corrupt organizations in the known universe.

_________________

You are absolutely entitled to state your opinion whenever you wish, and I am absolutely entitled to point out the stupidity of that opinion with the same frequency.

No one will ever convince me that on some level XL wasn't fixed. I think the higher ups in the NFL know it and why there was a commissioner change and no word of him going into the Hall of Fame. I'm not saying he orchestrated it I think he covered it up.

Im not sure about the history, but this time the bust was caused by "gangsters" who get players, refs, or any body who can cause a huge impact on the game and tell them to take a dive or something.
I dont believe Fifa its self is corrupt but gangsters make it corrupt.

Green street hooligans???

FIFA is about as corrupt as an organisation can be. Sepp Blatter is a hideous person who acts in his own interests, not gangsters'. In these soccer match/spot fixing allegations, however, I doubt FIFA had anything to do with it. It's people betting on games trying to influence the outcome for financial gain rather than an organization trying to create a narrative.

Here is what kills me about SBXL. A friend attended the game and was on the 40 at 100 level, right in perfect view of the Locklear hold. He said before the ball was snapped a stealer jumped off sides and the official immediately pulled his flag before there was even a possibility of a hold. He knew they were calling holding then suddenly thr call comes out as offsides.
Here's the frustrating part. Of all the viewing angles, the only one shown doesn't show the official so ypu cannot verify what he daid.

Why has no other camera view ever been shown of that play? I think just like the official that initially ran down the goal line with one hand up indicating no TD on Ben's phantom TD, only to raise his other arm indicating TD. The official was in fact throwing the flag for offsides before realizing what he was doing and then changed the call to protect the Stealers. There wasn't a delay on throwing the flag like on Tjacks supposed push off. The flag couldn't have been thrown for holding.

The frustrating part is you know there are camera angles available to prove it so why has no one ever requested it? Or have they only to be denied?

_________________
"cheating", Eddie D. pled to a FELONY to avoid prison and paid players under the table. Brent Jones was paid 500k the year after he stopped playing for "services" in the 90's.. Of course, there is Carmen Policy also

Holy christ. How long has it been? 7 years? Time to get over XL. I have been over it for that long. Geez.

I have forgotten about it for the most part, but this new soccer article got me thinking, Bill Leavy and some of his crew members were probably paid off by a outside source who bet a lot of money on the Pittsburgh steelers to win it. It's even more relevant considering that the forty niners felt like they were truly robbed. I really enjoyed the reffing of the game, it didnt feel like it played a huge factor in the game like it did in XL

Ha! Right....

_________________
FrankerZ FrankerZ FrankerZ FrankerZ FrankerZ FrankerZ FrankerZ FrankerZ

If they actually (anyone) did an investigation I would feel alot better bat as long as the only thing we have to go on is Mike Piera's cover up, uhm I mean explanation, I will never forget what went down in February 2006.

Sorry I have been a fan since 1976 and I have never seen anything so ridiculous. Good for you, maybe your a better person than me or maybe you just don't care as much, I don't know but I will take it to my grave believing an investigation would prove the game was fixed and not just a little bad luck.

_________________
"cheating", Eddie D. pled to a FELONY to avoid prison and paid players under the table. Brent Jones was paid 500k the year after he stopped playing for "services" in the 90's.. Of course, there is Carmen Policy also

The fact Qatar got a world cup despite doing nothing in soccer and Russia getting a world cup despite a major racism problem shows just how corrupt Fifa are and how much money/bribes talk.

I can't see the Superbowl being fixed but I do think there is probably pressure on the NFL and refs from advertisers and sponsors to get the bigger franchises/names through i.e NY, Steelers, Packers, Patriots. Same as there is in the Champions League- Man Utd, Real, Barcelona, Milan. I heard the sponsors were pissed the year Porto and Monaco made the final.

(I would like to think - and hope - that your intent with the usage of your choice of first two words in your reply would not be appropriate for this forum.)

It was the Super Bowl. Sort of a big deal. How many Super Bowl appearances do the Seahawks have in franchise history? Didn't Hawks fans (as well as that team that worked so hard to get there) deserve to see the game called equitably?

I'm pretty sure the following is related to exactly what was posted:
“I kicked two calls in the fourth quarter and I impacted the game and as an official you never want to do that. It left me with a lot of sleepless nights and I think about it constantly. I’ll go to my grave wishing that I’d been better.” - Bill Leavy (Aug 2010) http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... -seahawks/
(Seems like Leavy is having a difficult time getting over it unless he was being disingenuous about the sleepless nights.)

Sure, one cannot change the past. But, that doesn't mean history should be forgotten. Otherwise, how would injustices ever be determined to be just that? Just because it's brought up... doesn't necessarily mean someone is complaining and I personally don't think anyone deserved to have you lash out at them. It happened and there's definitely a body of evidence to suggest there was some sort of shady stuff goin on surrounding that game. The point was not being belabored. It's simply being brought up in light of apparent new information.

Someone had posted a link to an online document (perhaps it was a book in online form) about the mafia in sports gambling, etc. back when all this was blowing up after the game in 2006. I started reading it, but then I think I stopped because I decided I'd rather try to remain as naive as possible to try to enjoy what I think (and hope) is fair competition as I root for my team and enjoy the sports I like to follow. I know there's a lot of conspiracy theory writings... but, not sure that one was such.

_________________
Team of the Century!

I feel like Bill Leavy and a few of his crew members were given a few hundred thousand possibly millions to go flag happy against the seahawks. I mean the run by Rapistburger did not cross the plane obviously but it still counted. I just got done watching a youtube video of all the calls in the game and it is pretty painful to watch....

Of course it was fixed! How can you even ask? there's a long history of fixed games in the NFL going back since its inception. Look it up sometime. Geez, people are so naive.

_________________
Richard Sherman doesn't just wanna get in your head, he wants to build a vacation home there.

I doubt there is any actual evidence that the officials were paid off. That would definitely be pure speculation. But, money isn't the only leverage that could have been employed if any orders were given to do what they could to paint the game in one teams' favor. Ultimately, they couldn't control the game if the Seahawks would have been able to overcome every bad call they could (and did) come up with. But, I doubt any team could have that day.

I just watched the NFL network half-hour highlight show of that atrocity with two of my boys who were too young at the time. Both are playing football now and wanted to watch their Dad's favorite team in the Super Bowl. It came down to a combination of lack of penalties not called on the other team - one of the most penalized teams in the league (and in the game esp all the push offs by Hines Ward - which he laughed about on late night TV after the game - I think it was Letterman show) vs. one of the least penalized teams in the league being stopped by the yellow flag. I had the opportunity to speak with Chris Berman mere weeks after XL and he essentially told me that was his opinion. Out of the many, even 3 key calls were enough to swing the game enough to kill the Hawks hopes. The officials did have that in their power... make no mistake. Neither team played perfect, but the Hawks outplayed the Steelers with few exceptions. That long TD run to open the 2nd half is an example of a 3rd string safety taking a bad angle. Not just on him, but he was the final barrier. It was amazing that the end of the first half long bomb no call TD to Darrell Jackson wasn't reviewed. That was close. I don't think plays were automatically reviewed at that point (... a long time ago ... in a galaxy far, far away... as some would like to suggest. Honestly, it's really not that long ago. For that matter... that Vinny Testeverde Jets game still feels like an injustice, but that was one key play - sort of like how some Packers fans feel about the week 3 game this year. Again, they can't be changed - but, we can have our opinions and I'm not sure why pushing the scene of the crime further into the recent past should change any of that or make me any more accepting of the injustice?)

While I'm not going to get bunched up about it... I'm definitely never going to feel any differently about XL and can discuss it to some degree if ever brought up without caving to those who are just as insistent on the other side who behave as if it's some taboo to ever bring it up. I guess some fans just think they can establish some superior hierarchical level of fandom by simplistically insulting others about discussing a part of Seahawks history like this. There's a difference between "whining" and taking issue. The latter is done when there is good reason to. It's a tactic of an enemy to use a logical fallacy by appealing to some simplistic surface level issue to dismiss and accuse others of whining. (That is reserved for a specific fanbase, of course. ) It wasn't just 1 play in the biggest game in the history of a franchise. It was much closer to an entire game of injustice. That... I take issue with.

Go Hawks!!!

_________________
Team of the Century!

I think we're all 'over it', but that doesn't mean we can't talk about it if the subject comes up, right?

_________________
You're the new Oakland Raiders; class-less and dirty (with trash-talking players, and an unapologetic head coach), no respect for the game, with a stadium filled with obnoxious/rude fans dressed up in corny Halloween costumes/flare. -49er fan

I remember Hass, and the other players saying that they thought it was off-sides and assumed it was a free play for them! That's why when it was called holding, ignoring the off-sides, Hass kind of flipped out and got so flustered at that point, it was just so ridiculous.

_________________
You're the new Oakland Raiders; class-less and dirty (with trash-talking players, and an unapologetic head coach), no respect for the game, with a stadium filled with obnoxious/rude fans dressed up in corny Halloween costumes/flare. -49er fan