View Full Version : Armenian fed ask UEFA to investigate 'Greece bribery'
Oscar
07 Sep 2003, 03:04 PM
LINK en Español (http://www.marca.com/edicion/noticia/0,2458,388743,00.html)
The spokesman for the Armenian federation, Suren Bagdasarian, has said that their players have been approached by anonymous persons, who offered them money if they lost the match against Greece.
According to the spokesman, the coach for the Armenian sub-21 team had received a call from a former Armenian international player who now resides in Greece, who told him that he spoke for the Greek football federation; and offered 1 million dollars if they lost the game against the Greek.
O elefadas
07 Sep 2003, 05:10 PM
Yes, this "info" comes from the same person that in wednsday stated that he was approached by some people that told that if Armenia was to win Greece, then the Armenian federation would have had new sponshorship offers. By whom? I dont know...
Oscar
08 Sep 2003, 04:37 PM
LINK in English (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=276560&cc=5739)
I don't think anything will happen because of these alegations. Will probably just fizzle out in the next couple of days.
Although one has to wonder what Armenia would have to win with coming out with this? They wouldn't even get the 2nd place if Greece would get banned. So maybe it did happen. :confused:
Or either Spain and/or Ukraine are paying them to say this. :D
NEKSoccer
08 Sep 2003, 06:08 PM
SAY IT ISN'T SO!!!!!
Oscar
09 Sep 2003, 02:04 PM
LINK (http://www.vi.nl/vi/show/id=62802/contentid=52922/sc=b33d81)
The head of the Armenian federation, Rouben Aïparetan, claims he has 4 tapes of the phone conversations with the bribers.
If there will be an UEFA investigation or not, will be made clear in the coming days.
O elefadas
09 Sep 2003, 03:38 PM
Originally posted by Oscar
The head of the Armenian federation, Rouben Aïparetan, claims he has 4 tapes of the phone conversations with the bribers.
If there will be an UEFA investigation or not, will be made clear in the coming days.
And i've got tapes of his wive in bed, with their donkey having sex.
Besides who needs to bribe Armenia to beat them?
Oscar
09 Sep 2003, 05:30 PM
¿Why the Hell! would you want to own a tape of that? :eek:
:D
Oscar
10 Sep 2003, 06:56 AM
LINK (http://www.vi.nl/vi/show/id=62802/contentid=52940/sc=26ac2f)
UEFA will start an investigation into the acusations.
Which should be finished before the last matches of the qualifiers have been played on October 11th.
nicodemus
10 Sep 2003, 11:42 AM
1) Why would they phone that type of thing in?
2) Does Greece really need to bribe for a win against Armenia?
Oscar
10 Sep 2003, 12:52 PM
2) Does Greece really need to bribe for a win against Armenia?
While Armenia is a European 'minnow' in the sense that they don't qualify for the Cups, they're not a minnow like say San Marino, Armenia can make things difficult for your team to win, moreso when they play at home.
Out of their last 8 home games, they had only lost 2. With the Greeks not being the best of teams themselves, and needing a win in Armenia, a draw would very likely have seen them lose that first spot.
LINK, now also in English (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=276716&cc=5739)
nicodemus
10 Sep 2003, 01:45 PM
Originally posted by Oscar
While Armenia is a European 'minnow' in the sense that they don't qualify for the Cups, they're not a minnow like say San Marino, Armenia can make things difficult for your team to win, moreso when they play at home.
Out of their last 8 home games, they had only lost 2. With the Greeks not being the best of teams themselves, and needing a win in Armenia, a draw would very likely have seen them lose that first spot.
LINK, now also in English (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=276716&cc=5739)
I know Greece isn't a giant, and I know Armenia is no San Marino, but Greece has been on fire throughout qualifying. Sounds like somebody somewhere has sour grapes.
bkn0528
11 Sep 2003, 09:57 AM
it's been said before, but would greece really have to bribe Armenia to defeat them? I doubt it.
Alex333
11 Sep 2003, 12:02 PM
Originally posted by Oscar
While Armenia is a European 'minnow' in the sense that they don't qualify for the Cups, they're not a minnow like say San Marino, Armenia can make things difficult for your team to win, moreso when they play at home.
Out of their last 8 home games, they had only lost 2. With the Greeks not being the best of teams themselves, and needing a win in Armenia, a draw would very likely have seen them lose that first spot.
LINK, now also in English (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=276716&cc=5739)
Of course, Spain is not a team like France, Italy or Germany, but it can make it extremely difficult for the visiting team to beat it! When was it that they lost at home last time in an official match?!
Now, they lost to Greece at home which sounds strange to me. It actually looks more strange that Greece beat Spain away rather than Greece beating Armenia away.
There is something wrong here. I think Greece bribed the Spaniards!
Oscar
11 Sep 2003, 12:09 PM
Nah, if they bribed us, we would have lost the away match as well instead of winning it. ;)
Alex333
11 Sep 2003, 12:17 PM
Originally posted by Oscar
Nah, if they bribed us, we would have lost the away match as well instead of winning it. ;)
They probably didn't offer you enough then. So you got outraged and beat them. In Spain, however, the offer was too tempting to resist and you lost.
Still, that doesn't change the essence of the situation. An investigation needs to be launched on the Greece over Spain victory rather than Greece over Armenia victory!:)
Oscar
11 Sep 2003, 12:42 PM
It does make a little sense, how else could Greece actually beat us? We even made it look real by shooting over a dozen times on their goal, and only giving them 2 chances.....but I don't think the Spanish would rat out the Greek after they've paid us. That's not very gentlemen-like.
but would greece really have to bribe Armenia to defeat them? I doubt it.
They managed to draw Ukraine in Armenia, they put up a good fight in Ukraine as well in the game before the one against Greece (4-3)
I'd rate Ukraine's offense better than Greece's.
Alex333
11 Sep 2003, 12:46 PM
so who should be disqualifed: the bribees or the bribed?:) i guess both!
Juanele
11 Sep 2003, 01:09 PM
Originally posted by Oscar
I'd rate Ukraine's offense better than Greece's.
Well comparing the two games in Spain I'd agree with you. But then again Greece doesn't have any player comparable to Shevchenko, if they did I imagine they would've made a lot more noise in the past few years.
O elefadas
12 Sep 2003, 06:46 PM
Good posts in here guys, all seem logical to me.
But really, wouldnt be more logical for Spain to offer a "small" gift to Armenia if they would draw against Greece, than Greece bribing Armenia?
Oh, and whoever saw the match knows, it wasnt fixed, the Armenians gave their best but they were
very, very, very outclassed
Ukraine only has Sheva, and our defense is immensly more solid than theirs.