Water polo betting investigation widens

The investigation into alleged match-fixing by Malta’s national water polo team has widened, with investigators suspecting more people than previously thought could have been involved in illicit betting, Times of Malta has learned.

World Aquatics and European Aquatics, the sport’s two highest global authorities, are also involved in the probe now. Officials from both organisations have met with Maltese investigators and are also looking into the allegations.

Sources close to the probe told Times of Malta investigators in Malta believe some players might have attempted to hide their tracks by using intermediaries or middlemen to place bets on their behalf on matches they would be playing in, allegedly to manipulate the final scores for financial gain.

Others are suspected to have been using personal accounts with gaming companies to bet on matches other than the ones their team was involved in.

Times of Malta revealed last month that a number of national team players are being investigated for allegedly betting on their own matches during the European Championships in Belgrade.

They are suspected of having allegedly planned to manipulate the match in a way to ensure the final score was in line with their bets and so win money.

Investigators are working on the theory that players placed bets on the goal difference of Malta’s opening game against Montenegro. Malta lost the match 21-12. The team’s subsequent match with France, which Malta lost 22-13, is also under scrutiny.

The team went on to win matches against Israel, Slovakia and Slovenia, finishing 13th overall in the championship. Given the high standard of the tournament, this was a remarkable achievement for the Maltese national team.

“Which is why all eyes are on us now,” one source said. “If the alleged match-fixing turns out to be true, it would cause irreparable harm to one of the few sports that we managed to excel in on the international stage.

“This is why the biggest global authorities in the sport are getting involved, because Malta is not some irrelevant team at the bottom of the list; it’s rising to be among the best,” another source said.

The case did, indeed, gain some international notoriety, with Interpol highlighting the Maltese investigation in its latest bi-weekly bulletin on sports integrity.

Forbidden

Although betting on sports is not a crime for the public, it is strictly forbidden for athletes under international sporting codes. Athletes are generally prohibited from betting on matches within their own sport.

Under the World Aquatics Integrity Code, the sport’s ultimate ethical rulebook, athletes, coaches and officials are strictly prohibited from betting on any aquatic event. This includes a total ban on spot-fixing, the manipulation of specific game details, such as the margin of victory, for gambling purposes.

The code also forbids team members from leaking tactics or inside information to outsiders before it becomes public. Crucially, anyone covered by the code is obliged to report any match-fixing approaches or knowledge of illicit activity.

The allegations were brought to light last month, after sources close to the national squad acted as informants, triggering an investigation into whether players had bet on the specific goal difference of their own matches.

This prompted investigations by the police, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) and the Authority for Integrity in Maltese Sports (AIMS), which are now meeting with witnesses and scouring digital records for any evidence of wrongdoing.

The probe, which initially focused on four players, has now expanded, and investigators believe more people could have been involved.

Times of Malta is informed that the MGA handed the police a detailed report about its investigations last week. It is still unclear what the report contains.

Meanwhile, the police have questioned several national team players as part of the investigation and more individuals are expected to be called in for questioning in the coming weeks.

If found to have breached the rules by the international sporting bodies, those involved could face lifetime bans from the sport.