Referee still working
Report on manipulation triggers unrest at the Handball World Cup
01/15/2023 5:47 p.m
A Danish television station reports on referees being used at the World Handball Championship despite alleged match-fixing. It is about allegations from 2018. The European Handball Federation EHF explains that the allegations have been thoroughly examined.
A report about alleged game manipulation by referees has startled the handball scene on the fringes of the World Cup. The European Handball Federation (EHF) confirmed that they had turned on the authorities in December 2018 because of a suspicion. However, the investigations at that time did not lead to any result, so no consequences were taken.
Previously, the Danish TV channel TV2 reportsthat the company Sportradar, which specializes in match-fixing, registered a total of 26 games between September 2016 and November 2017 that would show clear signs of match-fixing. Among other things, seven betting providers would have displayed “suspicious” bets on certain game outcomes. The focus was therefore on eight referee duos, some of whom are also deployed at the current World Cup in Poland and Sweden.
“As far as the EHF is aware, these investigations by the police have so far remained unsuccessful and the speculation remained unproven after the probe,” said the EHF: “The EHF’s own evaluations of the games in question from a sporting point of view at the time did not result in any indications that would have justified the initiation of court proceedings .” Meanwhile, according to TV2, Sportradar even found that at least one of the referees was in contact with organized crime and well-known game manipulators.
According to TV2, the affected games also included games involving the top German clubs THW Kiel and SG Flensburg-Handewitt as well as international matches. However, according to the report, Sportradar emphasizes that its own observations are not suitable as evidence of manipulation – instead, the EHF should initiate further investigations. The company, whose customers also include the European Football Union UEFA, declined a further interview with TV2 in the course of the recent publication.