Football Conspiracy of the week (3) Cameroon's match-fixing madness

To be honest, I didn't expect to be adding another conspiracy to the list so soon, but this story is so juicy that I just couldn't help myself. 

Convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal has created controversy at the World Cup after comments were attributed to him about Cameroon fixing all three of their World Cup group games, as reported in the German weekly magazine, Der Spiegel. 

He immediately made to clarify the situation, saying:

“Contrary to the ‘revelations’ published by the German weekly Der Spiegel that were picked up by news outlets worldwide, I did not predict the result of the Cameroon vs Croatia match played on June 18, 2014." (1)

So, what's the truth? The Cameroon football federation released a statement soon after. It said:


"Recent allegations of fraud around Cameroon 2014 FIFA World Cup three preliminary games, especially Cameroon vs. Croatia, as well of the "existence of seven bad apples [in our national team]" do not reflect the values and principles promoted by our administration, in line with FIFA Code of Conduct and the ethics of our nation." (2)


The funny thing is, they seem to accept that there could be 'seven bad apples in the national team', so maybe there is a chance there was some foul play involved in Cameroon's World Cup games, despite the alleged source of the information distancing himself from the claims as soon as he possibly could. 

To understand the severity of the claim, it would help to take a brief look into the past of the 'accuser'. Wilson Raj Perumal. Perumal has been arrested for fixing football matches in the past - and he's considered to be one of the experts in the field. 

In his memoir, entitled Kelong Kings, he claimed that he fixed numerous games in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, helping Nigeria and Honduras get into the final rounds. (3) If true, then surely he would be able to read the signs if a match was to be fixed?

Despite the attempts to distance himself from the claims, there's no doubt that the Cameroon squad performed poorly at this year's World Cup, with their 4-0 loss against Croatia capping their dismal showing. 

With a red card in the first half, they couldn't stem the tide in the drubbing - but interestingly, they cared enough for a fight to break out in the 89th minute. 

"In the final minutes of Wednesday’s match, Benoit Assou-Ekotto head-butted Benjamin Moukandjo." (4)

Now, nobody wants to see a fight on the pitch, but Assou-Ekotto cared about the result enough to lose his temper - and start a fight with a team-mate, which is hardly the type of behaviour one would expect if he knew the match was fixed. 

However, Assou-Ekotto plays at left-back, which isn't the most important position for match-fixing. Perhaps the centre-backs and the goalkeeper would be a better bet, as they could influence the game far more easily. 

Whatever the case, the allegations have thrown a dark cloud over Cameroon's football team - but it does seem like they're willing to fight any corruption within the team. Considering that the allegation was withdrawn quicker than a knife in a gun fight, you can't really say fairer than that. 

Verdict: Possible.