It is in the nature of people to look for more behind certain things than is actually there. This also means that people are sometimes inclined to think that there’s a conspiracy behind something. This also happens in the casino world and the world of sports betting.
We’ve sought out the most extraordinary stories for you and would like to share them with you so you know how weird something can be. In doing so, we look at possible conspiracies and plots that have taken place in the process.
Deception in soccer
It can’t help but start with soccer. The game, of course, is extremely popular worldwide and sometimes even more valuable to people than a religion. One conspiracy that took place during the 1990 World Cup involved the match between Argentina and Brazil.
This was won by Argentina but after the match the Brazilian player Branco filed a complaint with FIFA. After drinking water from a bottle given to him by someone on the Argentina team, he felt unwell and claimed after the match that someone had tried to drug him.
Maradona blurts out
Player Branco was not believed at the time, but fifteen years later the case was reopened. Branco’s direct opponent, the well known Argentine Maradona (not always so clean himself) admitted that there were tranquilizers in the water bottle in order to hit the opponent. However, the Argentine soccer association still denies this so what is true may always remain a mystery.
France versus Brazil in 1998
Another incident worth mentioning when it comes to cheating took place at the 1998 World Cup and that was during the final match between Brazil and France. The match was already fraught due to the existing tension between the Frenchman Zidane and the Brazilian Ronaldo who were awarded the Golden Ball for best player in 1997 and 1998 respectively. The pressure was on the Brazilian team anyway because they wanted to defend their 1994 world title.
Star player Ronaldo had a seizure
The shock was intense when star player Ronaldo had trouble breathing just before the match and had a seizure. He was immediately taken to the hospital and did not return to the soccer field until about forty minutes before the start of the match. The doctors assured everyone that he was fine and could play but it was clearly visible that he was not, as he played slowly and without concentration. Consequence: the French won by a margin and blamed Brazil.
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It was only later that it was revealed that Ronaldo had injuries that had been treated with painkiller Voltaren for a long time and that these had caused the problems. And yes, these can cause stomach problems but not a seizure so what exactly happened is not clear. Why did he play at all if he was not fit, you may ask? This is attributed to the power of sponsor Nike.
Nike had invested millions in advertising campaigns in which the player played a major role. If he did not play, they would stop doing so and he would lose revenue. Conclusion: the game and the players are not the most important but money determines everything.
Mussolini used soccer as a propaganda tool
In Italy, too, deception is sometimes practiced when it comes to sports. When the World Cup was played there in 1934, the fascist dictator Mussolini led the country. In order to create a sense of unity in the country and make people docile, he did not hesitate to use sport for this purpose. After all, this was a perfect propaganda tool. In this way he could immediately weave sport into politics and get even more people on his side.
Players from all over the world
Immediately after the world championships that were held for it, he therefore already started looking for players in all kinds of other countries in order to put together a great Italian team in 1934. He looked for and found many good players in South America and threatened them with all sorts of things if they did not agree to join. Conclusion: the game and the players are not the most important but money determines everything.
Mussolini used soccer as a propaganda tool
In Italy, too, deception is sometimes practiced when it comes to sports. When the World Cup was played there in 1934, the fascist dictator Mussolini led the country. In order to create a sense of unity in the country and make people docile, he did not hesitate to use sport for this purpose. After all, this was a perfect propaganda tool. In this way he could immediately weave sport into politics and get even more people on his side.
Players from all over the world
Immediately after the world championships that were held for it, he therefore already started looking for players in all kinds of other countries in order to put together a great Italian team in 1934. He looked for and found many good players in South America and threatened them with all sorts of things if they did not agree to join. For example, it could happen that certain players even played for two different countries.
This is of course unthinkable nowadays, let alone that you are allowed to field players from other countries at all. Anyway, thanks to his cheating, Italy indeed became world champions in 1934 and this only strengthened the feeling of togetherness in the country.
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Also basketball does not come unscathed from the battle
More sports are known for conspiracies and deception but the most notable and controversial cases come from the NBA, the American basketball league. This deception already existed in the 1960s but still continues. So we’ll give you a few examples of what went on there.
Michael Jordan and food poisoning
Starting with legend Michael Jordan who had food poisoning during the NBA Finals when it was played in 1997. Jordan signed out for the game, giving as his official reason that he had the flu. However, there are two (different) versions of the story and the question remains whether the official reading is accurate.
The first version would recount that Jordan had once again had too much to drink and therefore could not participate. Frequently spotted as a guest at parties, in casinos and quite a party animal, this statement made its way into the world and didn’t even seem implausible.
The official reading is flawed
Of course, this was not so positive for Jordan himself so his coach and team came up with another story. In it, they told the world that Jordan had contracted food poisoning. They had pizza delivered in the middle of the night of which only Jordan would have eaten and no one else. Hence, only he was sick and not the rest. A bit implausible of course.
Lebrond and the cramp
A strange thing also happened to basketball player Lebrond. In 2014, the Spurs turned off the air conditioning because they knew that Lebrond still suffered from occasional cramps. Possibly partly due to the influence of the air from the air conditioning. He had already had these cramps several times in previous years. However, it is not very credible that the air conditioning would fail just before the finals and therefore it is thought that this was done on purpose.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers have also experienced something resembling a scam. In order to have a better chance of winning, the draw of the games was tampered with. It wasn’t even noticed until player Dikembe Mutombo made a mistake when he sent a message to the Cleveland Cavaliers via social media congratulating them on the draw. Which would only be officially announced four months later. Well, it’s hard to talk your way out of that one.
American Football and cheating
American Football did not come out of the fray unscathed either. This sport takes second place when it comes to controversial behavior. Even within this sport, we mention a few strange practices that smack quite a bit of scams.
Bruises that can have major consequences
Soccer can get rough sometimes and players can get bruised. A bruise is painful but will heal over time, but it can have other consequences that you certainly do not want.
Especially if you bruise a bit often, there is a good chance that you will get side effects such as damage to the head and brain or that you will be mentally out of shape as a player. This has even already been proven in medical research but the American Football League (NFL) hides this kind of information so they play with the health of their players. This is obviously not a good thing.
Anabolics and drugs
Drugs can also play a role in sports. Unfortunately, this is still a regular occurrence in the sport of American Football. Anabolics and drugs are given to the players in order to make a heavy physical strength effort and to last longer. Although it is forbidden to do so and the use of these substances is tested regularly, the prohibited substances are still used. The substances can be dangerous for players and if they are used, you are committing fraud. This is simply not allowed, but unfortunately it still happens a lot in practice.
The death of mafia figure Jimmy Hoffa
A good example of a strange case is that of Mafia figure Jimmy Hoffa. He disappeared in 1975 and his body was never found. After he was officially declared dead in 1982, there is still no clarity on what happened. It is thought that his body is buried under the stadium of the New York Gigants but whether that is true, no one knows for sure.
Famous athletes and cheating
There are also quite a few rumors circulating when it comes to famous athletes and cheating. Michael Jordan is known not only as a good basketball player but also for his penchant for gambling. He quit his career as a professional basketball player no less than three times and it was always said that the death of his father was largely behind that. However, the gambling problem was of such magnitude that it is increasingly believed that he did have to quit the sport for that reason.
Footballer Arron Ramsey
A very special story is that of Welsh footballer Arron Ramsey. It could be coincidence, of course, but many people think that supernatural forces are at play. Namely, every time he scored a goal, a famous person died. And chances are it’s more of a coincidence but celebrities like politician Ted Kennedy, singer Whitney Houston, actor Paul Walker, actor Robin Williams, singer David Bowie and actor Alan Rickman all died after he scored a goal. So rather scary it is, coincidence or not.
Muhammad Ali and the Panthom Punch
When Muhammad Ali boxed a match against Sonny Liston he knocked him down with a punch that has gone down in the books as the Phantom Punch. There is footage that shows exactly how this was done but rumors circulated that Liston was bound to lose because he had many debts to the mafia. Who will say what is true?
- Decide for yourself what you do or do not believe
- What you yourself believe of all the theories and conspiracies is of course up to you. You can accept them as true but of course you don’t have to. It may be true, but it may not be. How you feel about that is your business. But it does give you quite a bit of food for thought in certain cases. And where there’s smoke, there’s fire, so there’s bound to be some truth in it.
- A few striking facts in a row
- The sport in which the most strange cases and cheating occur in the U.S. is definitely basketball and the NBA. The cases have to do with players and teams, but also with certain draws of matches, which are sometimes rigged.