Betting Scandal

[Scottish_Morton]

Over the past week there have been many rumours that Morton player have been involved in betting scandals. One such rumour is that 4 players, Marco and John Maisano, Alex Williams and Peter Weatherson at xmas put a large bet on Airdroie to win the league. I personally believe these rumours to be crap, however if they were to be crap there are some fellow fans i will no longer be trusting.

Yesterday Williams and another (emillio bottiglieri, a canadian) were unexplicably not in the team or at the game. Rumours now flying around that they have been sacked. After the the game a fan accused marco of being Sh**e and being on his way to collect his winnings. Marco lost it, throw down his chip roll and went for the guy, he was restrained be several fans and stewards.

Now, I think the rumours have only started because Morton's dip in form has been bigger than i have ever seen in a team. To be at one point 14 points ahead of airdrie and now 5 points behind them is rather unexplainable. But i don't think there is anything sinister, just crap form by all players at the same time, a 1 in a million event.

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SOCCER 'BET' FURY
Fans protest over claim that team backed rivals.

Raging Morton fans turned on their team yesterday in a bizarre row over internet betting rumours.

Angry supporters waited outside Dumbarton's Strathclyde Homes Stadium to blast players after the 3-0 defeat.

Some fans have turned on the team, after a website falsely claimed four aces had bet £5,000 at 11-1 on rivals Airdrie to clinch the Second division title.

At one point in the season, Morton had an 11-point lead at the top of the table, but now they've been overtaken by the Diamonds, who are five points clear.

Around 50 fans stayed after the final whistle to vent their anger yesterday.

One said: " It was quite tense - the fans weren't happy and had obviously heard the rumours about the betting scam.

"The players were getting dog's abuse for the performance and were given pelters when they got on the team bus".

However, last night Morton chairman Douglas Rae said: "There's nothing to suggest anything untoward - it's simply rumour based on bad results.

"We were unbeaten until January 2 and then drew a lot of games and dropped points. That’s when it started"

"There's no way our guys are involved in this." (in italics)

Morton manager John McCormack added: "There were a few fans complaining.

"I got some grief from guys in hospitality but they were just disappointed because we'd led for so long in the season and it wasn't a good performance yesterday."



News of the World, 2nd May 2004, page 24

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Sunday Mail

Football Aces Slam 'Match Fix' Supporters

Clash with fans after game

Morton players were furious last night after match fixing allegations led to an angry clash with fans following yesterday's 3-0 defeat at Dumbarton.

The Greenock side's Australian star, Marco Maisano, 23, had to be held back from one irate fan by stewards as they squared up to each other when he went to board the team bus. The police were called but no arrests were made.

Last night Marco's brother and team mate John, 25, said claims that players had placed bets on being beaten were totally unfounded.

And he said that the chants of the fans accusing them of cheating was an "insult".

John added: "I am very disappointed that my name has come up. From the day I joined this club I have put my heart and soul into it. It is very insulting that people should be saying these things."

"Me and my brother have never put on a bet in our lives. If there was any truth in this I wouldn't be able to sleep at night."

Morton manager John McCormick blamed yesterday's performance on the claims getting to his players but insists he does not believe the cheating allegations.

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Press Release from Marco and John Maisano's agent Lou Sticca

In response to the rumours currently circulating Morton FC in regards to players of Morton FC allegedly throwing games, I take this opportunity to refute any involvement of John and Marco Maisano in such matters.

John and Marco Maisano play football to the best of their abilities and do so with passion and love for Morton FC. They play to win and their sole goal is to win another championship and promotion this season with Morton FC.

Both players are deeply hurt that any player's names, let alone their names, have been used in such a disgraceful manner. Both players are indebted to the Chairman and Board of Morton FC along with the fans of Morton and the city folk of Greenock for the manner with which they have been treated since their arrival at Morton FC.

John and Marco have flown their parents out from Australia to be in Greenock to celebrate the promotion of Morton FC into Division 1.

Is there really any need to say more?

In summary, John and Marco urge everyone associated with Morton FC to support the team this week against Stenhousemuir with the aim of taking 3 points to secure promotion.

Regards,



Lou Sticca
Licensed Player Agent

Lou Sticca

[Gordon EF]

This really came out of nowhere, didn't it?

I don't think it's true but I've heard it on a few different sites and a number of people (not just Morton fans) are certain that it's true or have heard it from reliable source.

About Williams, I've heard that he was up drinking into the small hours on Friday night. That's why he was dropped. I assume you know that there's allegedly a big drink problem in the squad?

Were you at the Dumbarton game? What actually went on? Marco Maisano is an idiot, he's just a hothead.

[Scottish_Morton]

The club are denying any rumours. They're quite angry about it really! Alex williams was out drinking at a casino so was told not to come on saturday. Pressumably he was disciplined further today, i wouldn't mind if i never saw the guy in a morton shirt again! There was a drinking ban recently for the players, so you're right gordon, there obviously is a problem.

What make me really angry is that i recieved an email from a fellow morton fan and long time messageboard poster who claimed the rumours were true and he named his source! Someone isn't telling the truth!


It's easy to see why rumours like this would appear. For a team to have this record is unbelievable:

Before new year:

Played 21 won 14 drew 4 lost 3 scored 54 conceeded 29

Since New Year:

Played 19 won 5 drew 7 lost 7 scored 23 conceeded 34

[Parkhead_Faithful]

After the the game a fan accused marco of being Sh**e and being on his way to collect his winnings. Marco lost it, throw down his chip roll and went for the guy, he was restrained be several fans and stewards.


:D
Chip rolls eh?
Nothing like a player looking out for his fitness ;)

[Scottish_Morton]

FOOTBALL: COWBOY TURNS INTO COLUMBO TO PUT HIS FLOP STARS IN CLEAR May 5 2004


MORTON BOSS LAUNCHED BETTING PROBE

By Hugh Keevins



JOHN McCORMACK has gone through his playing and managerial career only being known as Cowboy.

But Columbo might now be a more appropriate nickname after the detective work he has carried out to prove his players' innocence in the face of corruption allegations.

The body of evidence against McCormack's players would have seemed suspicious, even to the most understanding of natures.

Morton had lost just one Second Division championship game before the turn of the year and were running away with the title.

But since the start of this year, McCormack's side have lost five times and drawn another six to jeopardise their prospects of accepting a championship that looked to be a formality.

Now they've reached the stage where even the prospect of winning promotion is endangered by being only three points in front of third-place Hamilton Accies with two games to play.

But worst of all have been the persistent rumours that some Morton players had a betting syndicate which put money on Airdrie being the title winners at their expense.

And these allegations led to clashes between players and fans when Morton lost 3-0 at Dumbarton last Saturday.

Now McCormack has revealed the weeks of anguish,doubt and lost sleep which prompted him to carry out a one-man internal investigation.

Yesterday, the manager told his players that, in the opinion of the individual who had acted as judge and jury, they were innocent of all charges.The case was closed.

He said: 'There had to come a time when we drew a line under this issue and moved on as a club.

'I told the players after training on Monday that I was going to have two meetings with people who had nothing to do with Morton in particular or football in general.

'I totally dismissed the betting rumours when I first heard them. I even cracked a dressing-room joke to try to defuse the tension by saying, 'Thanks for cutting the manager out of your wee scheme'.

'But when the rumours grow arms and legs, suspicion begins to form in your mind.

'If I had found any evidence to substantiate the allegations made against the players, they would never have worn a Morton jersey again.' Anyone who saw McCormack play in central defence for St Mirren and Clydebank would have known that rugged is an understatement to the approach he brought to the game.

And honesty was also an integral part of his make-up.

But in Greenock he was having accusatory fingers pointed at him.

He added: 'I actually opened the ground up one morning at eight o'clock to find a fan waiting there, demanding information on what was going on.

'A distressed woman phoned me to say her husband hadn't come back home after the Dumbarton result. She told me that was my fault because of the stories circulating about my players. There have been nights when I've lain awake worrying about hurtful accusations.

'That's why I decided it was time I used my network of contacts outside the game the people who could help me discover if my players were innocent or guilty.

'I would have been the first to put my hand up and condemn the guilty parties if anything had been proved about betting syndicates.

'But now I have told the players that I believe in their innocence. Now it is time to concentrate on what we have to do over the course of the two remaining games.

'Of course it's been disappointing to fall behind in our attempt to go up as champions. But promotion is won over the course of an entire season,not what happens after the New Year.

'If results go our way,we could even be promoted if we beat Stenhousemuir on Saturday and Accies drop points at home to Berwick Rangers.

'And if that happens it will be all the sweeter after what this club has been put through recently.

'It was a horrible feeling when Dundee sacked me as manager when the club was top of the First Division. It was even worse when Hamilton Accies took six goals off Morton last month.

'But this unsavoury business has lingered on for too long.

'I have told the players I don't believe they have done anything wrong and that is the end of the matter.'

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/tm_objectid=14210145%26method=full%26siteid=89488%26headline=football%2d%2dcowboy%2dturns%2dinto%2dcolumbo%2dto%2dput%2dhis%2dflop%2dstars%2din%2dclear-name_page.html

[davidkennedyshand]

I have to say Scottish Morton..i'm totally gutted your team let Franchise Utd overtake you at the top of the league!!
Do you think Mortons bottle will hold for the next 2 games or will Hamilton nick it and Morton and Ayr will possibly be playing each other next season?

All i can say is best of luck and Come on Ayr,Morton and Brechin!!
Lets consign Raith Divers to Division 2!!

[Scottish_Morton]

I have to say Scottish Morton..i'm totally gutted your team let Franchise Utd overtake you at the top of the league!!
Do you think Mortons bottle will hold for the next 2 games or will Hamilton nick it and Morton and Ayr will possibly be playing each other next season?

All i can say is best of luck and Come on Ayr,Morton and Brechin!!
Lets consign Raith Divers to Division 2!!

Will be seeing alot more of each other next year :(. At least it's a short trip for me!