The Ethics Committee imposed a three-point deduction and a fine on Volos Elabet for statements made by Sundgren in Sweden regarding match-fixing.
“In the locker room before the game, they told us, ‘You won’t get the ball today’ and ‘Today, so-and-so will go down in the box, and that’s how we’ll get a penalty,’” the Swedish defender had stated in a podcast in his home country, although he later retracted his statement.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The powerful figure in Volos, Achilleas Beos, spoke of a flagrant injustice. “I have just been informed of a blatantly unfair decision by the Ethics Committee, which surprised me as it is completely devoid of evidence and is flawed. Of course, it is common to face various forms of persecution when you dare to challenge the establishment. So suddenly, they decided to punish the Volos team for an alleged offense that supposedly took place two years ago! I am not worried, however, as I am certain that judges of moral character, merit, and integrity have no choice but to acquit the Volos team, since, I repeat, the decision cannot stand under any circumstances, as it is completely unfounded and unsubstantiated.”
Sundgren himself had claimed that he was not involved in match-fixing, but had spoken with other players on the team about it. “Back then, you couldn’t speak up against those who make the decisions. After all, they’re the ones who pay the salaries… But it’s clear that it was very humiliating,” he said.
The conversation on the podcast
– Who said that? Was it another player?
“The president. The coach.”
– Were there fixed matches?
“Yes, and it made you feel ashamed. After all, I played with four Scandinavians, and that doesn’t happen in Scandinavia.”
-Although there are examples now. They tried it at AIK when you were there. You can’t always say it doesn’t exist, but I understand what you mean. There might be more of them, and it might be more common in other countries. “I don’t
know; I’ve never really dealt with anything like that anyway.”
-Did you say anything about it?
“To the players, I did. Back then, you couldn’t say a word to the decision-makers—they’re the ones who pay your salary, after all. But it’s clear that it was something very embarrassing.”
-Did you lose those games?
“The thing is, there were relegation playoffs.”
-“A series to avoid relegation?
” “Yes, exactly. After that, the team we faced had to earn points, and we had to earn points. The situation changed. So what did they do? We gave them three points and they gave us three points, so both sides were happy. It was 3-0 in their favor and 3-0 in ours. Those below us in the standings were, of course, unhappy. I had nothing to do with it, but when you sat in the locker room and couldn’t believe that this could happen in a top-tier league. That’s when you felt ashamed. You felt like you didn’t want to be a part of it. It’s disgusting.”
-“What did the other players say?
” “I think the Greeks are so used to it that they just shrug their shoulders. They just do whatever they’re told.”
-Were you afraid, while you were part of this, that you might not be able to speak out and tell the Greek media about it?
“We’re foreigners. We don’t know what’s being reported in the media, and we don’t have the same insight. Besides, Greece has so many foreign players that only two or three Greeks are aware of it. But since we received all our updates in English, we found out.”
-“So you knew that ‘someone would go down and get a penalty,’ and then you saw it happen?
” “Yes, it was surreal. I don’t even know what to say. I ended up having panic attacks. When I returned to Degerfors and landed in Sweden, I had to go to the hospital on the very first day. I had such a knot in my stomach, and I had a real panic attack.
-If this comes to light now and the Greek league and the relevant authorities approach you, what would you tell them?
“I’d just tell the truth; there’s nothing to hide. I think people already know.”
-Because this is destroying soccer. “Yes
, it’s awful. The soccer you’ve been playing since you were a kid. As I said, I didn’t notice anything like that while I was at Aris. Although there were some comments like, ‘Why did he kick the ball out for a corner again? You could’ve cleared it for a throw-in. In practice, you clear it out for a throw-in every time, but now all of a sudden you’re giving the opponents 2–3 corner kicks in a row?” It was a little suspicious, but there was no evidence of anything.”
“In Volos, everything was up in the air. They didn’t tell us, ‘You’re going to lose 3–0 today.’ But we even heard from the visiting team’s fans, while we were sitting there drinking coffee, saying, ‘Is it 3-0 today or not?’ Then we looked at each other and… yeah, it was 3-0.”
-Is it true that in some cases the president would step in and say, “This is what counts today”?
“We know it’s the president’s decision, but it came from some people under his leadership. You didn’t really know who they were. They didn’t have a role in the club, but they were more like his friends.”
Sudgren’s statement… retracting his remarks following the allegations:
“Following the attention surrounding my recent interview, I would like to clarify my remarks to avoid any misunderstanding, as I expressed myself inaccurately and may have created false impressions.
During my time in Volos, neither I nor any of my teammates who were present ever received any instructions other than to give our best in every game. Obviously, if I had direct evidence of a fixed match, I would have reported it.
Coach Georgiadis is a good man and a professional who supported me throughout my time there, and the only instructions he ever gave me were always for the good of our team. I apologize if my statements inadvertently created a negative impression.
There were general rumors among the fans regarding match results in Greek soccer, and my reference to such discussions was not intended to personally accuse the president or the coach of match-fixing.
If my words caused any confusion or discomfort to the president, the coach, my teammates, or the club, I sincerely apologize.
I have the utmost respect for the president, the board of directors, the coach, and everyone I’ve worked with, as well as the fans of Volos, and I sincerely wish to put this matter behind me.”
*photo source: KYPE
