CSKA win overshadowed by match-fixing allegations
MOSCOW, Nov 19 (Reuters) - CSKA Moscow's second consecutive Russian
title, secured on Saturday with a match to spare, was a hollow
victory for many fans after a season overshadowed by widespread
allegations of match-fixing.
The army side crushed Luch-Energiya Vladivostok 4-0 to clinch the
title. With a round of matches still to play, second-placed city
rivals Spartak Moscow could draw level on points but CSKA would
still win the championship because they have had more
victories.
Talk of corruption and match-rigging has been rife for years in
Russia but it escalated this season.
Many Russian bookmakers refused to take bets on certain matches,
saying their outcome was pre-determined, while CSKA's main rivals,
Spartak Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg, accused the army side of
benefiting from favourable refereeing decisions.
Match-fixing allegations reached new heights near the end of the
season following CSKA's controversial 1-0 win over Zenit on Nov. 5,
which virtually sealed first place for the Moscow club.
The Russian FA later acknowledged that the referee had made crucial
errors in disallowing two Zenit goals while wrongly awarding CSKA a
penalty which they scored.
The match was also marred by a number of altercations, notably a
scuffle between CSKA's Brazilian striker Vagner Love and Zenit's
Dutch midfielder Fernando Ricksen.
After initially suspending Love for punching Ricksen, the league's
disciplinary committee reversed its decision and allowed the
Brazilian to go unpunished. Love then scored a hat-trick against
Vladivostok to clinch first place for CSKA.
The controversy has attracted huge media coverage around the
country and led to several politicians writing an open letter to
Russia's Prosecutor General, calling for an investigation.
One St Petersburg politician even suggested relegating CSKA if they
were found guilty, following the example of Italian champions
Juventus who were demoted to Serie B after a match-fixing
scandal.
CSKA have denied any wrongdoing.
Observers have pointed to a conflict of interest in CSKA president
Yevgeny Giner also running the premier league.
Match-rigging allegations have coincided with an increase in
violence and racism in the domestic game.
This month, Saturn's Ghanaian striker Baffour Gyan accused Spartak
captain Yegor Titov, one of Russia's most popular and influential
players, of inciting racist abuse from the crowd. Titov denies the
charge.
A week earlier, Spartak fans, considered the most violent in the
country, displayed a banner showing a swastika during a league
match at Shinnik Yaroslavl.
Also this month, a coach of a third-division club received a life
ban from the game for his role in hiring a gang of thugs to attack
three of his players following allegations of bribe-taking.
The team captain suffered the most serious injuries in the attack,
spending several weeks in hospital with a broken nose, concussion
and a bullet wound in an arm.
While off-the-pitch incidents have been on the rise, playing
standards have diminished, most evident from Russian clubs' poor
showing in European competition.
Spartak remain rooted to the bottom of their Champions League
group, having gone a record 21 matches without a win in Europe's
premier club competition.
Lokomotiv, another big Moscow side, were knocked out of the UEFA
Cup in the first round, suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands
of Belgian part-timers Zulte Waregem.
Even CSKA have been inconsistent throughout the season. Despite
leading their Champions League group, Valery Gazzayev's team have
struggled against most of their European rivals and were fortunate
to snatch a 0-0 draw at Arsenal this month.
The London club wasted a sackful of clear-cut chances at the
Emirates Stadium to allow the Russians to escape with a point,
prompting Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to underline a huge gulf in
class between the two sides.
'We dominated this Moscow team by miles,' Wenger said afterwards.
'There was a division's difference between us.'