The Cheat Sheet - A Roundup of Sports, Gambling and Crime News - Feb. 11, 2025
An Indian netball scandal, back-alley gamblers in Florida, an aging Russian boxer, and even a NASCAR race manipulation scandal. This week's Cheat Sheet has it all.
The Cheat Sheet - February 3, 2025 - Issue 4
The weekly briefing for developments in sports, gambling, and crime all around the world
FOOTBALL
The Brazilian Senate's CPI (Parliamentary Inquiry Commission) on Match-Fixing and Sports Betting will recommend the indictment of Bruno Tolentino, uncle of West Ham midfielder Lucas Paquetá, for alleged involvement in betting schemes centered around yellow card incidents in football matches. Tolentino is accused of transferring R$ 40,000 to Luiz Henrique of Real Betis and faces scrutiny over bets placed on Paquetá and Henrique receiving yellow cards in their respective leagues. He was summoned by the Senate in October 2024 but remained largely silent during questioning. Senator Romário has indicated that Tolentino's actions could violate Brazil's General Sports Law, carrying a prison sentence of two to six years. The indictment request will be forwarded to the Federal Public Ministry, who will decide whether to proceed with formal charges.
FIFA has raised concerns about a possible rigging of a first-division match played last season in the Costa Rican Liga Promérica, prompting an official investigation. The match in question is between Santos de Guápiles and Asociación Deportiva Guanacasteca (ADG), which took place on October 20 at the Ebal Rodríguez Aguilar Stadium in Guápiles, with Santos winning 4-0.
Varsha Vishwas Tarun Mandal, a senior division football team in the southern city of Kolhapur, has accused teams of match-fixing and manipulating results. According to the complaint, three teams from one area of the city conspired to control results in order to keep teams from the outskirts of Kolhapur from playing in the senior league.
The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is taking steps to address critical issues plaguing Kenyan football, including match-fixing, referee bribery, hooliganism, and financial mismanagement. This follows a report by the FKF Transitional Ad-Hoc Committee, which exposed these deep-rooted problems. Recent violent incidents against match officials, including an attack on a policewoman allegedly linked to match-fixing, have heightened concerns.
BASEBALL
Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for stealing approximately $17 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts.
BASKETBALL
The Liga Nacional de Básquet (LNB) in Chile has filed a legal complaint over alleged match manipulation, triggering an investigation into potential game-fixing within the league. The action was prompted after suspicious activity was detected in a January 15 game between ABA Ancud and Puerto Varas, where Puerto Varas won 92-76. While the investigation is focused on that specific match, all twelve teams in the Liga UNO 2025 have been notified of the probe.
BOXING
Former heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin is facing a significant blow to his career following an investigation that has led to the disqualification of his results over the past decade due to a doping scandal.
The International Testing Agency (ITA) has found that Povetkin tested positive for Ostarine in 2014, in addition to a previous positive test in 2016, resulting in a four-year suspension and the disqualification of his results from October 25, 2014, up until his provisional suspension in October 2024. Povetkin lost a heavyweight title match to the UK’s Anthony Joshua in 2018.
CRICKET
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned Bangladesh women's team spinner Shohely Akhter for five years after finding her guilty of violating five provisions of its Anti-Corruption Code. The ban is effective from February 10, 2024.
Akhter was found to have attempted to fix a match during the 2023 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa. Although she was not part of the squad, she allegedly approached a teammate via phone with a fixing proposal before a match against Australia, offering a significant sum of money to influence the game. The teammate rejected the offer and immediately reported it to the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU).
BANGLADESH - Constant Match-Fixing Allegations Dog Premier League
The recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) was marred by persistent allegations of match-fixing. These included inexplicable bowling decisions, deliveries straying wide for easy runs, and questionable batting performances, all fueling suspicions of compromised games. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)'s anti-corruption unit is currently investigating eight matches based on tip-offs and media reports, with claims that over half a dozen national players could be implicated.
GAMBLING
Three men have been arrested in Tampa, Florida, for allegedly running an illegal sports betting operation out of the All Stars Tampa Domino Club. Undercover detectives conducted surveillance, observing patrons entering the business and leaving within minutes with paper receipts, an unusually short time for a domino game. Over 14 months, detectives placed six bets, wagering $940 on various sports games, including an NBA game between the Celtics and Raptors.
NASCAR
A scandal in which manufacturers ordered drivers to race a certain way to manipulate results has led NASCAR to crack down on race manipulation ahead of Daytona 500. A new section of the rulebook gives NASCAR the power to penalize manufacturers for infractions in all three national series. In 2024, teams at the Martinsville Speedway attempted to manipulate who made the Championship 4. New penalties can see teams lose points, wind tunnel hours (used to improve car aerodynamics), and vehicle testing on the tracks.
NETBALL
The Kerala Olympic Association has filed a complaint, accusing a referee of showing blatant favoritism towards a rival team from Uttarakhand, where the tournament is being held. Kerala officials said the referee blew no fouls on the Uttarakhand team until after they had scored. They claimed the Netball Federation had asked for bribes from Uttarakhand players to guarantee them victory.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE READING
FOOTBALL - Footballers Unfiltered: The player banned for two years despite bringing match-fixers to justice
GAMBLING - Top Bookmaker Says Half of Pro Athletes Betting on Sports
ZIMBABWE - Former Liverpool Goalkeeper Reflects on Match-Fixing Scandal