How was the match for which UEFA gave maximum penalties fixed?

UEFA's decision to ban Montenegrin team Arsenal Tivat from European football for a period of ten years has caused a stir. Arsenal has also been fined 500 euros, while players and officials from the club have been sentenced to a lifetime ban from football or a ten-year ban.

Arsenal have been found guilty of match-fixing in July 2023 against Alashkert of Armenia. It was the first and only time Arsenal Tivat played in European competition, namely in the first qualifying round of the Conference League.

The match in Yerevan had ended 1:1, while in Podgorica, Alashkert had won 6:1. Until the 40th minute, no goals had been scored.

But bookmakers in several countries had already received signals for huge bets that two or more goals would be scored in the first half.

Over 250 thousand euros were placed on "live" bets that two or more goals would be scored in the first half. The odds for "two or more goals" in some bookmakers were over 30. So those who played with 1 euro won 30 euros. Bookmakers tried to protect themselves from big bets, but some did not succeed.

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The first suspicions of match-fixing were raised by Polish television, TVP. And now UEFA has confirmed that the match was fixed.

The first goal was scored in the 40th minute and the second in the first minute of extra time of the first half.

So the bettors won.

But not everything was over with the first half.

Live bets were also placed when the second half started. Bets were placed that the match would end with more than five goals scored, and even with more than seven goals scored. The match ended 6:1 for Alashkert, while the guests from Armenia scored two goals in the extra minutes of the second half. This made the match even more doubtful.

A player and an official from Arsenal Tivat have been banned from football for life. Three other players have been banned from football for ten years.

Players and club officials were at UEFA to answer questions from investigators. Arsenal Tivat club president Dejan Kandic said in May that UEFA's investigation had begun after he and the municipality of Tivat filed a criminal complaint. Kandic had said that only the players, not the club's officials, were under investigation. But UEFA has punished the club, one official and four players.

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Only Skënderbeu of Korça has been punished with a ten-year ban from European competitions in the past. That decision was made in 2018. Skënderbeu has also been punished for match-fixing. Until UEFA's decision, Skënderbeu was the dominant team in Albanian football. Then the team from Korça suffered a major decline. UEFA's decision on Skënderbeu was also confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2019. Skënderbeu was also fined 1 million euros by UEFA.