Laudrup: Ban match-fixers for life
SWANSEA City manager Michael Laudrup has moved to clarify comments he made about paying rival sides to win games.
And he has again stressed that people found guilty of match-fixing should be banned for life.
Asked on Thursday about the issue, he said the term match-fixing needs to be "better defined".
He said: "If Swansea play the last game against a team and a third team pays Swansea to win the game, I really don't see anything bad about that."
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But the Dane said last night: "I am well aware that it is against the rules to accept or receive money to influence the outcome of a football match.
"I am in full support of these match-fixing rules and certainly do not advocate any payments of any kind.
"The point I was trying to make was that the term match-fixing needs to be defined because there are different levels.
"If two teams playing each other both needed a draw and the scores are level with 20 minutes to go, then I wouldn't expect either team to throw men forward looking for the winner.
"That to me is not match-fixing.
"The worst case of match-fixing I heard was in Italy in the early '80s, before I went there, when three or four players were paid to lose a game.
"Can you imagine what the other players felt when they got to know about that after they went out to win?
"People like that should be banned for life, not a few years. They should be out of the game forever.
"The other point I was trying to make regarding defining the word match-fixing, and which was hypothetical and perhaps taken out of context in relation to the whole interview, was that if someone wanted to pay us to win, then fine, because we go out to win every game anyway. That's what I meant by a bonus."
Laudrup was asked about the issue because he played for Lazio and Juventus in the 1980s, and Italian football continues to be dogged by match-fixing claims.
As many as 13 Italian clubs — mainly from the second division — are under investigation.
Comments
by abertawejack
Sunday, September 23 2012, 8:57PM
“I'm backing our manger to the hilt as to what he stated no double talking as per the media, he's an honest man. I would like to take this opportunity to inform him though that as our Manager, he calls the shots not the players: why are we playing an alien game and not Swansea City way, as per last season. Hoofing the ball out of trouble! believe me causes trouble, controlling the ball is a different matter as it requires a level head especially in defence, which is starting to be our nemesis and has been an issue except for our goalscorers capabilities, now that we can't score goals our defence is our main issue. My heart goes out to Vorm whom gives us 100% and more, I feel he is on his own with no support from the backs as they are too busy running around like headless chickens at times. In the word of Wallis & Gromet, "sort yourselves out lads" remember when forwards go through you so easily, the brilliance of Vorm our last line in defence, even he can't be 100% all the time and we shouldn't expect him to be either. Level heads gives us a level playing field so please try to play as a passing team at all times, you know your good at that, well I honestly think you are. let's have more team work please and try and end the game with eleven players more often.”
by GorsseinonJoe
Saturday, September 22 2012, 11:54AM
“Thank you Michael, clears up the confusion and mis-understandings of the original statement, which obviously caused some to think that match fixing was being condoned.
The game is about playing for your team not to play for incentives paid by others.”
by perthswan_wa
Saturday, September 22 2012, 11:53AM
“Anyone with half a brain who saw the interview knows what ML meant.But now that HE knows exactly how the British "gutter press and so called journos" can react and sensationalise anything, maybe he'll think twice before voicing his opinion on anything other than Swansea City again.
Dont worry about it ML, you'll get used to it. GO SWANS.”