The folks attending El Salvador's press conference before their World Cup qualifier against Canada got quite a surprise when the team played a tape of a man trying to bribe them to play well.
The man, alleged to be Honduran businessman Ricardo Padilla (if El Salvador draws or beats Canada, Honduras is guaranteed advancement to the 'Hex'), is probably the worst match-fixer of all time.
First, you're not supposed to bribe the team you want to win. Of course they want to win. They're professional athletes and almost certainly very competitive. They'll try hard regardless of whether you offer them money. Much better to bribe a team to take a dive.
Second, how did you allow yourself to be recorded? What kind of criminal/match-fixer walks around offering bribes in places he could possibly be recorded? Come on guys, this is basic stuff.
Also, why did he offer a bribe to a team that has this hanging over its head? These dudes know what happens when you get caught match-fixing, so of course they are going to be wary of any attempts at it.
And then there's the amount.
This is from The Guardian:
The El Salvador captain, Nelson Bonilla, said in a pre-match news conference in Vancouver on Monday that a Salvadoran businessman had approached the players with the offer last weekend.
Bonilla played a tape of the 10-minute conversation in which the man promised varying amounts of money depending on the result and the time played by each player, from $30 a minute for a win to $10 a minute in a 1-0 defeat.
I don't know how much Salvadoran footballers generally get paid but that doesn't seem like enough money to affect the outcome of a World Cup qualifier. That's less than three grand for a win and only $900 for a 1-0 loss. Who would take that?
Not the Salvadorans, apparently.
Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus
