Dozens of officials across two Israeli soccer leagues have been suspended on suspicion of match-fixing.
Israel Football Association Chairman, Shino Zuaretz, said during a press conference on Monday that more than half of the teams in Liga Alef North and some in Liga Bet North are involved in the gambling scandal, which is allegedly being financed by organized crime.
“This is a sad day for Israeli football. We are not dealing with rumors but facts,” Zuaretz said, according to the Jerusalem Post.
“We will investigate and address every piece of information we receive to ensure the game remains clean.”
The IFA has been investigating these leagues with a private firm for the last six months and believes the corruption has been going on since last season. Wagers have been placed through illegal foreign websites. Enough match-fixing and game sales evidence has been found that Zuaretz said he wants to shut down Liga Alef North temporarily and plans to work with police in pursuit of indictments against those involved.
“We will do everything in our power to address this issue,” Zuaretz said. “Those involved will have no place in football.”
UEFA is working with the IFA and approves of the governing body’s actions in the matter.
Soccer in Israel
Liga Alef North, which consists of 16 teams, is a third-tier soccer league in Isreal behind Israeli Premiere League and Leumit. Liga Bet North has 32 teams split into two divisions and is a tier behind Liga Alef North.
Sports betting is legal and regulated in Israel. All wagering goes through the Israel Sports Betting Board (ISSB). No other operators are allowed to offer legal online sports betting.
Zuaretz said 19 billion shekels are wagered illegally both in Israel and on out-of-country websites. Live wagering is not offered, but Zuaretz said legalizing in-play betting could help cut down on illegal activity.
Seven Mexican players suspended for 57 years
A match-fixing scandal in Mexico's third division resulted in suspensions for seven players.
Six players for Real Apodaca and another for Correcaminos UAT were levied a combined 57 years in suspensions, according to the Associated Press.
Players on Real Apodaca lost matches on purpose by two or more goals, according to local media. The Mexican Football Association did not reveal the names of the players under suspension.
Global issue
Soccer is the most scrutinized match-fixing sport globally. According to a recent report from watchdog firm Sportradar Integrity Services, 65% of all match-fixing incidents it investigated in 2024 involved soccer.
One in every 233 soccer matches are flagged. However, Sportradar did see an 18% year-over-year decrease in the sport’s match-fixing last year.
