Updated ,first published
Berkeley: Anyone watching the rare football history between Australia and Egypt ahead of their World Cup knockout clash will want to approach their final meeting with great caution.
Ahead of their round of 32 clash at Dallas Stadium on July 4 (AEST), the Socceroos and Pharaohs have only played twice before, once in South Korea in 1987 and most recently at the Cairo International Stadium in November 2010. There are questions about whether the latest game should count at all.
The friendly was arranged as billionaire Football Federation Australia supporter Frank Lowy traveled the world, using international friendlies to garner support from voting nations, including Egypt and the African Union, for Australia’s bid for the 2022 World Cup. Unfortunately, the Socceroos had faced Paraguay, their original opponents for the 2026 World Cup, two months earlier for the same reason.
On the field, the Australians coached by Holger Osieck turned in an unusual performance as they were beaten 3-0 by the Pharaohs. But four years later, allegations emerged that the game was bought and paid for before it started.
In his 2014 memoir Kelong KingsConvicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal detailed how his network of crooks allegedly managed to disrupt the Cairo clash to ensure three goals would be scored.
“The game went according to plan,” Perumal, a Singaporean, wrote. “The representative of Bulgaria gave away one penalty in the final minutes of Egypt against Australia, which ended 3-0 to the Pharaohs.”
Former Socceroo Luke Wilkshire played the game and remembers Egypt’s third goal – a 90th-minute penalty against Australia captain Lucas Neill – was controversial. Neill appears to miss the Egyptian striker when the penalty kick is awarded. Fox Sports analyst Simon Hill said he would “see more pushing and shoving on the field” during the broadcast.
“I clearly remember the penalty. It was soft. Back, you just had to brush it off and get on with things,” Wilkshire said. “It’s more when you look back that you question some of the decisions. But obviously in modern football, things like that wouldn’t happen now.
“I had no idea. Maybe we were blind … you just don’t want to think that something like that can happen, or should happen in a game. I definitely had no idea about it. But the game itself, I just remember that it was a tough competition. It was a tough place to go, but it certainly wasn’t one of our best games.
When it comes to football match-fixing, Perumal was one of the big fish caught. He estimates he fixed between 80 and 100 matches around the world, says he frequently gave orders from the bench, and pocketed $5 million in the process, losing it all as a gamble.
His attempts to fix the game of football had an 80 percent success rate, he claims.
Perumal claimed that at the height of his match-fixing powers, he sent his partner to Cairo in 2010 to negotiate with the Egyptian Football Association to keep affected referees in games.
Although many of their proposals were rejected, one succeeded: Bulgarian referee Anton Genov was appointed to officiate in November’s international friendly against Australia.
Genov’s choice was bronze. Less than a year earlier, he had been investigated by UEFA over his handling of a December 2009 friendly in Skopje between Macedonia and Canada. Betting firms reported concern when there was a collapse in bets predicting at least three goals and a high number of penalties. The leaders’ doubts grew when Genov conceded four second-half penalties in Macedonia’s 3-0 win.
Perumal denied involvement in the revisions, but claimed his architects were angered by Genov’s lack of tact.
“Why did you give so many punishments?” Perumal writes that they are supposed to ask the referee. “If the player misses, just say that the goalkeeper moved before the kick and take the penalty again.”
Initially suspended by UEFA but eventually exonerated, Genov was allowed to serve again. However, Perumal’s group gave him strict instructions not to be seen more during the Egypt-Australia clash.
“Anton,” he warned, “you’re back from your suspension, so don’t do anything funny. Just wait for the right moment.”
All seemed fine until there was a near shock at the last minute when an Egyptian football official complained about Genov’s appearance: “This guy looks so fat.”
“We insisted, and finally Anton was appointed match official,” Perumal wrote.
“The game went as planned. The representative of Bulgaria gave away one penalty in the last minutes of Egypt against Australia, which ended 3-0 to the Pharaohs.”
Perumal said the group bet more than US$1 million on the match, leaving him short of $200,000. But he also pocketed hundreds of thousands more by placing his own bets.
“I had shared information about the Egypt match with my friend, telling him to throw me 500 thousand dollars for me.
“’Are you really sure?’ my friend asked. ‘500,000’
“‘Yes, don’t worry,’ I assured him. “The final whistle won’t come before three goals have been scored.”
When Permual’s allegations were made public, Australia’s goalkeeper in the game, Mark Schwarzer, told the ABC that the game’s governing body had to investigate what happened.
“I think there should be an investigation from the top. FIFA should investigate,” he told ABC’s 730.
Twelve years later, Permual has become an informant and is helping the authorities expose those who try to fix matches. And until Dallas, the match still remains in the history books as the last meeting between Egypt and the Socceroos.
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Nick Ralston is deputy editor and investigative editor of The Sydney Morning Herald. He has previously spent time as news editor, rights editor and world editor.Connect through X or email address.
