The match that disappeared has surfaced. Swedish team H65 Höör reported the away match against SPD Radnicki Kragujevac for match-fixing and Handbollskanalen has now had a former international top referee analyze the match. The person, with over 25 years as a top-level referee, sees a similar pattern in the match as H65 did.
”There were at least 25 mistakes from the referees who went in Radnicki’s favor,” the person says to Handbollskanalen.
In the second qualifying round of the European Champions League in October 2021, H65 Höör faced SPD Racnicki Kragujevac, a team that H65 was expected to defeat. But the Serbian club won the first match of two with 23–22 and according to H65 Höör, something was not right during the match. Or rather several different things.
The amount of strange decisions and behavior of people involved in the match prompted H65 Höör to report the match to WhistleB, an independent whistleblower service. People in the club that Handbollskanalen spoke to said that the match was ”100 percent fixed”.
One reason why nothing more has happened in the case since the report is that the European Handball Federation (EHF) wants further evidence. There is no video from the match, at least this is what the Serbian club has claimed, according to H65. But Handbollskanalen has revealed that a video exists and has secured access to it. Since several independent sources have confirmed to Handbollskanalen that the match was fixed, we asked a former international top referee (not from Sweden) to watch the match and comment on potential suspicious situations.
”There were at least 20 mistakes from the referees that could be described as suspiciously rigged and that went in Radnicki’s favor. Plus five more mistakes that other referees also could have made. So there were a total of 25 mistakes that the home team benefited from,” says our source.
The problem is worse in the smaller competitions
But mistakes were also made that favored H65 Höör. However, not very many.
”I can find one refereeing mistake during the match that favored H65, says the former international top referee, and clarifies:
”By mistake, I mean important situations, not small details, but significant and important actions.”
In the match, the home team got 14 7-meter penalty throws while H65 Höör only got 3 penalties. This also was suspicious, says the experienced former judge.
”Radnicki received 14 penalties, but they should have received 8. H65 should have had 1 more penalty, so then the total number of penalties in the match would have been 8–4 to the home team instead of 14–3.”
Radnicki won the match with one goal after converting 11 of their 14 penalties and the final score was 23–22. In the return match in Sweden H65 rolled over Radnicki with 36–23 and advanced to the third qualifying round based on aggregate results.
”When I watch Champions League matches, I can detect many problems, normally because of a lack of quality, but the further down you go in EHF’s competitions the bigger the problems become. Many in handball know that it is a big problem, but no one does anything about it.
”There are referees who have been suspended from the International Handball Federation (IHF) competitions, but who continue to be awarded matches in the Champions League and European Championships.”
Our source believes that the challenges of today are similar to the problems that existed 25-30 years ago.
”It does not look like anything has changed in this regard. It is a pity because there are lots of referees who are honest and have extremely high quality. I would also like to add that sometimes it is not about corruption but about low quality of the referees and when it is, the home team usually benefits from it. Just because a lot of mistakes have been made by the referees does not necessarily mean that the match is fixed, but this particular case is extremely strange and stands out.
”The clubs and local handball associations have a responsibility to do something about this. But if they are afraid of the EHF, there is nothing to do.”
Finally, the person also comments on how to identify a fixed match:
”I analyze the match (or both if it is a double meeting) and I have arrived at a very simple conclusion. If the final result is very close and the number of obvious mistakes (no ridiculous or simple mistakes) is for example 17-2, then it is not normal, never.”
Handballskanalen has contacted the referees from in the match between Radnicki and H65 Höör but has not received a response yet.
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READ MORE: Handbollskanalen reveals, part 2: Swedish club has reported match-fixing
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READ MORE: EHF on suspected matches: ”No legal proceedings have been initiated”
READ MORE: Match-fixing, part 6: ”The work against match-fixing is 15-20 years behind”
READ MORE: Match-fixing, part 7: This is how the Swedish Handball Association works against match-fixing
READ MORE: Match-fixing, part 8: Sportradar explains: ”Since the pandemic, match-fixing has exploded”
READ MORE: Match-fixing, part 9: The survey – one in every four Swedish elite players knows of a fixed match
READ MORE: Match-fixing, part 10: EHF starts match-fixing training for referees and delegates
READ MORE: Match-fixing, part 11: SHF responds to the survey: ”The figure is much too high”
READ MORE: Match-fixing, part 12: Professor of match-fixing on ”the perfect crime”
READ MORE: PLAY: Handbollskanalen has the video of the missing H65 match