Over the years there have been many sporting betting scandals involving players, but specifically, soccer has seen many issues in the topic. 

Most recently, Italian players Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Fagioli were caught placing bets on matches that they were playing in, and both face bans for up to a year. These two are certainly not the first players to be caught betting in this manner, however, and are just a small part of the epidemic. 

Whether it be something small such as a player receiving a yellow card or as large as the entire match outcome, the sport has seen many players take advantage of their participation in gameplay. By telling friends and family to bet on match outcomes that they deliberately cause to occur, they try to sneak easy money out of their games. When caught, however, they face hefty and possibly career-ending consequences. 

A famous example of a career-ending consequence occurred in late 2022 when ex-Stratford Town player Kynan Isaac received a 12-year ban from just one match. He told many of his friends to place a bet that he’d receive a yellow card and deliberately received one towards the end of the game. When his actions were discovered, he initially received a 10-year ban and then an extra 18 months, forcing him into an early retirement. 

Hundreds of professional players continue to be discovered placing bets on matches that they’re playing in, trying to earn an extra paycheck for themselves and their friends. Although they are paid hefty salaries, it seems to never be enough for some players. The International Federation of Association Football, or FIFA, hopes that more severe penalties will discourage players from changing match outcomes, but nothing is guaranteed.