CWNO Historical Archive: Aug. 13, 2025

“A Day of Reckoning” for Sports World as Decades-Long Corruption Ring Uncovered

August 13, 2025; Berlin, Germany- The world was rocked overnight as more than 330 people were arrested in a decades-long effort to manipulate the outcomes of sporting events. The arrests were the result of a five year-long coordinated effort by national and international authorities that has sent shockwaves through the sports betting world. Those arrested consisted of referees, judges, coaches, and umpires from over a dozen sports as well as members of several of the world’s most notorious crime syndicates.

Individuals arrested in the overnight sting will be held in their respective countries before traveling to Austria for trial under the Coordinated Criminal Conspiracy Act.

Michael Van Damme, Deputy Chief of WorldPol, who orchestrated the multi-agency effort said, “As proud as I am of this effort by all the hundreds, perhaps thousands of officials involved, I can’t say this is a proud day for me. As an avid sports fan, it pains me that such a beautiful and beloved aspect of our world has been undermined by the devious actions of a small group of individuals driven by greed. I can only find solace in the fact that this effort will hopefully rid the sports world of the corruption that has affected so many of our sporting events, and with them, so many of our most treasured memories.”

The specific allegations against the hundreds that were arrested have not been detailed, but Van Damme said that the charges will be combined under the Coordinated Criminal Conspiracy Act (3CA) and hinted that those identified as the leaders of the effort may face sentences in excess of 80 years. While accused individuals will be tried in an international court located in Austria, sentences will be served in each individual’s respective home country.

The International Herald reached out to the leadership of several sports leagues for comment and is still awaiting responses from all but two.

Martin Fennessey, Director of the Global Football Association, a league which saw 12 of its umpires and six of its coaches arrested, stated, “This has brought a day of reckoning upon all of us in the sports world. There is no sport that has been untouched by this scandal, and now every one of us must face the fact that the idea of sports as we have known them, something most of us have always held up as the epitome of fair play, has been a facade. We have all been affected by this- fans, executives, athletes- and it once again reminds us that there is almost no place in our world today that is immune to the forces of corruption and greed.”

Marshall Pearson, President of the Organization of International Basketball, provided a written response via email. The head of a sports league that had eight of its referees and four of its head coaches arrested in the sting, said, “Eleven years ago, the OIB made the decision to allow betting on the league’s events. It was a decision we made only after thoughtful consideration, because we were afraid of the potential for manipulation of our games. As a league, we put in place a series of measures and protocols that we believed would eliminate or at least minimize this risk of manipulated outcomes. It saddens me that even our best efforts may have fallen short. We will immediately halt all betting on OIB events until such time that we are able to regroup as a leadership team, review the depth of corruption in our league’s ranks, and determine a way forward.”

Hundreds of officials from a variety of international organizations coordinated the effort to take down those accused of fixing sporting events.

All of the accused will be extradited to Austria within the next 72 hours, where they will be formally charged for their crimes as individuals and as a CCA organization. It is expected that most will be released until the CCA trial begins, while a small number of the accused will be held in a facility in Austria before being turned over to national authorities.