Germany may be facing a similar scandal to the one that occurred in Brazil in 2023, with suspicions of match-fixing in lower leagues.
According to the police, 17 lower division matches are being investigated for signs of involvement in illegal betting.
Complaint and investigation into match-fixing in Germany
The newspaper Hamburger Morgenpost revealed the complaint about the possible sale of results to bettors. The competitions involved include the 3. Liga (third division), Regionalliga (fourth division) and Oberliga (fifth division), with manipulations reportedly taking place since November 2022.
Among these leagues, only the 3. Liga is professional, while the others are semi-professional and amateur. No specific team or match has been announced at this time.
However, the investigation is focused on dubious refereeing decisions and strange behavior by players, particularly goalkeepers and defenders.
Authorities believe that those involved used the dark web to conduct negotiations, a platform that offers high anonymity. The payments took place in cryptocurrencies, which makes it difficult to track those responsible.
Police in the states of Hesse and Saarland, regions located in the west of the country, had already started investigations into suspicious departures. The federal agency Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) also confirmed its participation in the ongoing investigations.
This would not be the first case of match-fixing in Germany. In 2005, the court sentenced former referee Robert Hoyzer to 2 years and 5 months in prison for manipulating matches in the Bundesliga 2, German Cup and Regionalliga.
Football in Germany
Football in Germany is organized into several divisions. The most important league is the Bundesliga, which is the first division, followed by Bundesliga 2.
Below them, we have the 3. Liga, which is still professional. Next are the Regionalliga (fourth division) and the Oberliga (fifth division), both semi-professional.
Finally, the German league system has five main divisions. Each of them plays a crucial role in the formation and development of football in the country.
