Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nPeople certainly had their suspicions, but four years later it all made sense.<\/p>\n
Convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal released a memoir and spelled out how his criminal network had rigged the match to ensure three goals would be scored.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe game went according to plan,\u201d the Singaporean wrote. \u201cThe Bulgarian ref awarded a single penalty in the final minutes of Egypt vs Australia, which ended 3-0 in favour of the Pharaohs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Permual said he pocketed US$200,000 from his syndicate\u2019s US$1 million winnings as a result of three goals being scored in the match.<\/p>\n
He also claimed to have won hundreds of thousands more via his own side bets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had shared the information on Egypt\u2019s match with a friend, telling him to throw 500 thousand dollars on it for me,\u201d Permual wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Are you very sure?\u2019 my friend asked. \u2018500,000\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Yes, don\u2019t worry,\u2019 I reassured him. \u2018The final whistle will not come before three goals are scored.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Wilson Raj Perumal<\/span>Source: Supplied<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nPerumal alleges that he fixed up to a 100 football matches around the world and won $US5 million as a result.<\/p>\n
But he lost all his money gambling.<\/p>\n
Before Permual\u2019s downfall, his network clearly had influence, however.<\/p>\n
The appointment of Genov as the referee for the match was a curious one given less than a year earlier he has been investigated by UEFA after a plunge of bets on at least three goals being scored and high number of penalties awarded in a friendly between Macedonia and Canada.<\/p>\n
In that 2009 game, the Bulgarian awarded four second half penalties as Macedonia won 3-0 in Skopje.<\/p>\n
Permual said he had nothing to do with that game, but knew who was.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy the f*** did you give away so many penalties?\u201d he wrote that they allegedly asked the referee. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf the player misses, just say that the goalkeeper moved before the kick and retake the penalty.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>The referee interacts with players as Mile Jedinak is bloodied during the Socceroos’ friendly against Egypt.<\/span>Source: FOX SPORTS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThat is why him and his network gave Genov strict instructions.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnton,\u201d he was warned, \u201cYou just came back from your suspension, so don\u2019t do anything funny. Just wait for the right time,\u201d Permual wrote.<\/p>\n
When Permual\u2019s allegations became public through the publishing of his memoir, the Australians understandably were livid.<\/p>\n
Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who was unable to save the dubious penalty, was interviewed on the ABC\u2019s current affairs program \u20187.30\u2019 in 2014 and demanded action.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there should be an investigation from the top. FIFA should investigate it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe game in itself was very much a game that was one-sided and in a game which you thought the officials probably didn\u2019t referee it in the fairest way,\u201d Schwarzer added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to take when you\u2019re there playing it, but also it\u2019s very difficult to read after the event and I suppose it justifies your beliefs at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Mark Schwarzer was unable to save the controversial penalty.<\/span>Source: FOX SPORTS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFormer Socceroo Luke Wilkshire also played in that game and in a recent interview with the Sydney Morning Herald said: \u201cI remember obviously the penalty. It was soft. <\/p>\n
\u201cBack then, you just had to brush it off and get on with things,\u201d Wilkshire continued. \u201cIt\u2019s more so when you look back at it that you question some decisions. But obviously in modern-day football, those sorts of things wouldn\u2019t happen now.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had no idea. Maybe we were blind. You just don\u2019t want to think that anything like that could happen, or should happen in the sport. I definitely wasn\u2019t aware of it. But the game itself, I just remember that it was a tough contest. It was a tough place to go, but definitely wasn\u2019t one of our best games.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no such black mark when the two nations last met a global tournament, however.\ufeff<\/p>\n
That came at the Tokyo Olympic Games five years ago when Egypt dashed the Olyroos\u2019 Olympic dream 2-0.<\/p>\n
The Australians needed a draw in their final group game to advance to the knockouts after stunning Argentina earlier in the tournament.<\/p>\n
The Egyptians broke Australian hearts, however, with six players who are in the squad this World Cup featuring that game in Tokyo.<\/p>\n
Harry Souttar, Connor Metcalfe and Cammy Devlin all played for Australia that night.<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Egypt’s midfielder Akram Tawfik tackles Australia’s midfielder Connor Metcalfe during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games men’s group C first round football match<\/span>Source: AFP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cI remember that,\u201d Metcalfe said when speaking to reporters on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt actually feels like a blur, to be honest.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were quite a big physical team. I just remember it being really humid and hot and we didn\u2019t play our best game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey ruined our dream. So, yeah, I guess you could say it\u2019s a bit of a revenge, personally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Australia will certainly be hoping for revenge for that Olympic meeting and the corrupt Cairo clash.<\/p>\n
If history is to repeat at the home of the NFL\u2019s Dallas Cowboys, the Socceroos will be hoping it is a recreation of the first men\u2019s international game between the two countries.<\/p>\n
At the 1987 Presidents Cup in South Korea, Australia claimed bragging rights in a penalty shootout after the match ended in a scoreless draw.<\/p>\n
Now, that would add an incredible new chapter to this short rivalry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For two nations that have only met in senior men\u2019s internationals twice before, Australia and Egypt have a wild history. As the Socceroos and the Pharaohs prepare to meet in the World Cup\u2019s Round of 32 on Saturday morning, many Australians cannot help but cast their mind back 16 years to a crazy encounter in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":250978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[156],"class_list":{"0":"post-250977","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250977\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}