The extent of match fixing in German soccer Results of an online - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The extent of match fixing in German soccer Results of an online survey with honest answers to embarrassing questions Dr. Werner Pitsch Saarland University Institute for Sport Sciences

Match Fixing as a subject of scientific research • Declan Hill (2008): Partly social scientific but mostly journalistic attempt • Boeri & Severgini (2008): Economic model of the Italian Serie A-corruption scnadal in the framework of the economic theory of curruption. • Economic analysis of law: Highly abstract analyses of economic determinants and effects of corruption • Social sciences? 04.10.2011 Match Fixing in German soccer 2

Problem: Description of the subject “match fixing” 1. At which rate does match fixing occur in (grassroot) soccer in Germany? 2. At which rate are soccer players involved in match fixing? 3. At which rate are trainers and coaches involved in match fixing? 4. At which rate are referees involved in match fixing? 04.10.2011 Match Fixing in German soccer 3

Methode: Randomized Response Technique yes match  fixer yes Question: Were you ever personally involved in match fixing? yes Honest 1-  player (  ) no 04.10.2011 Match Fixing in German soccer 4

Experience the Randomized Response Technique 1. For scientists: Have you ever cited an article or a book without having read the article or the book thoroughly? 2. For politicians: Have you ever made an election promise which you knew you wouldn‟t make true? 3. For journalists: Have you ever misquoted somebody in an article? If you were born in April, May or July, please answer “yes” no matter if you have ever behaved in that way. If you were born in a different month please answer honestly. 04.10.2011 Match Fixing in German soccer 5

The sample Sampling strategies: – First attempt: With support from the DFB – failed. – Second attempt: With support from organizers of internet forums and newsgroups – failed. – Third attempt: By an E-Mail pyramid system – succeeded only by using a large number of „seed persons“ Resulting sample: 277 records, – 19.1 % female (over-representation) from different German leagues. – 70.6 % played soccer in 2010/2011 season. – 91.7 % played soccer for more than one season 04.10.2011 Match Fixing in German soccer 6

The sample Mean age: 26.0 years old, SD 6.5 Distrubution by age categories (played in 10/11) Youth/Junior level 7.2 % Senior level 78.5 % Veteran level 11.8 % Distribution by performance/leagues (played in 10/11) Subdistrict level 48.2 % District level 29.2 % County level 13.8 % Sub-national level 4.6 % National/higher level 1.5 % 04.10.2011 Match Fixing in German soccer 7

The questions Match fixing means … – ... to request single or multiple players to act unsportsmanlike insofar as a preliminarily fixed result (e.g. defeat) will occur. – The request is connected with benefits (e.g. invitations, one or more cases of beer, money, sport equipment) for those players who comply with the request. 1. Have you ever experienced …? 2. Have you ever been personally involved …? 3. Did you experience … in the 2010/2011 season? 4. Were you personally involved … in the 2010/2011 season? 04.10.2011 Match Fixing in German soccer 8

Results 100.0 honest 'yes' 80.0 60.0 honest 'yes' 40.0 20.0 22.7 14.8 0.0 Have you ever experienced …? Did you experience … in the 2010/2011 season? 04.10.2011 Match Fixing in German soccer 9

Results 100.0 80.0 60.0 cheaters honest 'yes' 40.0 44.2 20.0 0 22.7 14.8 0.0 Have you ever experienced …? Did you experience … in the 2010/2011 season? 04.10.2011 Match Fixing in German soccer 10

Results 100.0 80.0 41 77.3 60.0 honest 'no' cheaters honest 'yes' 40.0 44.2 20.0 0 22.7 14.8 0.0 Have you ever experienced …? Did you experience … in the 2010/2011 season? 04.10.2011 Match Fixing in German soccer 11

Results 100.0 80.0 47.6 60.0 80.1 honest 'no' cheaters honest 'yes' 40.0 37.6 20.0 18.5 14.8 1.4 0.0 Were you ever involved …? Were you involved … in the 2010/2011 season? 04.10.2011 Match Fixing in German soccer 12

Implications • Match fixing isn„t only a top league -phenomenon in German soccer. • A considerable number of players in Germany is involved in match fixing. This doesn‘t restrain people from playing soccer! • Match fixing in German soccer doesn„t always mean wilful deceit or unjust enrichment in legal terms. • The currency in match fixing is not always € or US$ but it is often „a case of beer“. 04.10.2011 Match Fixing in German soccer 13

Questions worth discussing • Can we implement measures against match fixing and corruption without threatening grassroot sports? • Who will profit from the fight against match fixing and corruption? 04.10.2011 Match Fixing in German soccer 14

References Hill, D. (2008) The Fix: Soccer and Organized Crime. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. Boeri, T, Severgini, B. (2008) The Italian Job: Match Rigging, Career Concerns and Media Concentration in Serie A (IZA Discussion Paper Series 3745). Bonn: Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit. Clark, S. J., Desharnais, R. A. (1998). Honest Answers to Embarrassing Questions: Detecting Cheating in the Randomized Response Model. Psychological Methods, 3 , 160-168. Coutts, E., & Jann, B. (2008). Sensitive Questions in Online Surveys: Experimental Results for the Randomized Response Technique (RRT) and the Unmatched Count Technique (UCT) [Electronic Version]. ETH Zurich Sociology Working Paper , 3 . Retrieved 17.07.2009 from http://ideas.repec.org/p/ets/wpaper/3.html Esser, H. (1986). K ö nnen Befragte l ü gen? Zum Konzept des "wahren Wertes" im Rahmen der handlungstheoretischen Erkl ä rung von Situationseinfl ü ssen bei der Befragung. K ö lner Zeitschrift f ü r Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, 38 , 314-336. Lensvelt-Mulders, G. J. L. M., Hox, J. J., van der Heijden, P. G. M., & Maas, C. J. M. (2005). Meta-Analysis of Randomized Response Research. Thirty-Five Years of Validation. Sociological Methods and Research, 33 , 315-348. Locander, W., Sudman, S., Badburn, N. (1976). An Investigation of Interview Method, Threat and Response Distortion. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 1976 , 269-275. Pitsch, W., Emrich, E., & Klein, M. (2005). Zur H ä ufigkeit des Dopings im Leistungssport. Ergebnisse eines www-Surveys. Leipziger Sportwissenschaftliche Beitr ä ge, 46 (2), 63-77. Pitsch, W., Emrich, E., & Klein, M. (2007). Doping in elite sports in Germany: results of a www survey. European Journal of Sport and Society, 4 (2), 89-102. Shimizu, I. M., Bonham, G. S. (1978). Randomized Response Techniques in a National Survey. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 73 , 35-39. Tracy, P. E., Fox, J. A. (1981). The Validity of Randomized Response for Sensitive Measurements. American Sociological Review, 46 , 187-200. 04.10.2011 Match Fixing in German soccer 15