The Bundesliga scandal (''der Bundesliga-Skandal'') refers to the malicious, for-profit manipulation of games in the 1970–71 German football championship season.

History

The manipulation of games was revealed when the president of

Kickers Offenbach Offenbacher Kickers, also known as Kickers Offenbach, is a German association football club in Offenbach am Main, Hesse. The club was founded on 27 May 1901 in the Rheinischer Hof restaurant by footballers who had left established local clubs in ...

Horst-Gregorio Canellas Horst-Gregorio Canellas (6 June 1921 – 23 July 1999) was a German entrepreneur and football official. Canellas is best known for his role in breaking the 1971 Bundesliga scandal. He was also a hostage on the hijacked German Lufthansa Flight 18 ...

, presented an audio-tape to

DFB DFB may refer to: * Deerfield Beach, Florida, a city * Decafluorobutane, a fluorocarbon gas * Dem Franchize Boyz, former hip hop group, Atlanta, Georgia * Dfb, Köppen climate classification for Humid continental climate * Distributed-feedback ...

officials and a few journalists at his 50th birthday garden-party. In that tape, several players, including German internationals

Bernd Patzke Bernd Patzke (born 14 March 1943) is a German former football player and manager. The defender was twice a squad member of the West Germany national team for FIFA World Cup tournaments: 1966 in England and 1970 in Mexico. Altogether he won ...

and

Manfred Manglitz Manfred Manglitz (born 8 March 1940) is a German former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Outspoken Manglitz was one of a handful of West Germany international footballers (including Klaus Fichtel, Bernd Patzke etc.) involved in the matc ...

, could be heard offering to let themselves be

bribe Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corr ...

d to help Offenbach avoid

relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

. The chief

prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...

of the DFB,

Hans Kindermann Hans Kindermann (10 February 1922 in Teplice – 3 November 2018) was a German jurist. Kindermann was a member of the Control Committee of the German Football Association (German: DFB-Kontrollausschuss) since 1963 and became its chairman in 197 ...

, found out that, amongst others, the 17 April 1971 game between

FC Schalke Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rh ...

and

Arminia Bielefeld DSC Arminia Bielefeld (; full name: ; commonly known as Arminia Bielefeld (), also known as ''Die Arminen'' or ''Die Blauen'' ), or just Arminia (), is a German sports club from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. Arminia offers the sports of ...

that ended 0–1, had been "sold" (or

thrown Throwing is an action which consists in acceleration, accelerating a projectile and then releasing it so that it follows a ballistics, ballistic trajectory, usually with the aim of impact (mechanics), impacting a remote target. This action is be ...

) by Schalke's players and the board of directors. Afterwards, many of the Schalke players were banned for long periods, while several lifetime bans were imposed. The players maintained their innocence, and even swore an

oath Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to ...

to that, but the oath was eventually proven to be false. Schalke's rivals, especially from the

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...

, still occasionally refer to Schalke as ''FC Meineid'' (German for "FC Perjury"). Fifty-two players, two managers and six club functionaries were punished. Also, Bielefeld and Offenbach had their license to participate in the

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

revoked. Offenbach would have been relegated due to their sporting performance anyway, despite the manipulated games, but Bielefeld were to play in the next Bundesliga season. Eventually, Bielefeld had to play all 34 games of the 1971–72 season, but would be relegated after the season, independently of their record.

Manipulated games

* 17 April 1971:

Schalke Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rh ...

Bielefeld Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...

, 0–1 * 5 May 1971:

Köln Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...

, 3–2 * 8 May 1971: Offenbach vs

Oberhausen Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...

, 3–2 * 22 May 1971: Köln vs Oberhausen, 2–4;

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...

vs Bielefeld, 4–1 * 29 May 1971: Bielefeld vs

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

, 1–0; Offenbach vs

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

, 0–2 * 5 June 1971:

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...

vs Oberhausen, 1–1^*;

Hertha BSC Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend of the borough of Charl ...

vs Bielefeld, 0–1; Köln vs Offenbach, 4–2 ^*Strictly speaking, the game was not manipulated, but the Braunschweig players were promised, and given, for winning this game an additional bonus by a third party, which was illegal.

Punished participants

Players

Tasso Wild Tasso Wild (born 1 December 1940) is a former German football midfielder who played for 1. FC Nürnberg and Hertha BSC. Career Wild started his career with 1. FC Nürnberg. Between 1959 and 1963, he made 74 appearances for in the Oberliga S� ...

Jürgen Rumor Jürgen Rumor (born 19 February 1945) is a former professional German footballer. Rumor started his footballing career at 1. FC Köln, where he made 56 Fußball-Bundesliga appearances before moving to 1. FC Kaiserslautern. After 63 games, Rumo ...

, Laszlo Gergely,

Volkmar Groß Volkmar Groß (31 January 1948 – 3 July 2014) was a German professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He spent seven seasons in the Bundesliga with Hertha BSC, Tennis Borussia Berlin and FC Schalke 04. He represented Germany once in ...

Peter Enders Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

, Wolfgang Gayer,

Arno Steffenhagen Arno Steffenhagen (born 24 September 1949) is a German retired professional footballer who played as a striker for clubs in Germany, South Africa, the Netherlands, the United States, and Canada, making nearly 400 career league appearances and s ...

, Karl-Heinz Ferschl, Hans-Jürgen Sperlich,

Franz Brungs Franz Brungs (born 4 December 1936) is a German retired football coach and player. As a player, he spent eight seasons in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, 1. FC Nürnberg and Hertha BSC. Honours * Bundesliga: 1967–68 * DFB-Pokal The ...

, Jürgen Weber,

Michael Kellner Michael Kellner (born 8 May 1977) is a German politician (Alliance 90/The Greens) who has been serving as a Member of the Bundestag representing electoral constituency Uckermark – Barnim I since 2021. In addition to his parliamentary work, ...

, Uwe Witt, and Zoltán Varga. *

VfB Stuttgart Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB Stu ...

Hans Arnold Hans Arnold (22 April 1925 – 25 October 2010) was an artist, born in Switzerland, who lived and worked in Sweden from 1947 until his death in 2010. He illustrated many magazines and books. He is perhaps best known for his illustrations for the ...

, Hartmut Weiß, and Hans Eisele. *

FC Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhi ...

Klaus Fichtel Klaus Fichtel (born 19 November 1944) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender for Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen. He made 23 appearances for the West Germany national team. Career Fichtel was born in Castrop-Rauxel, ...

Hans-Jürgen Wittkamp Hans-Jürgen Wittkamp (born 23 July 1947) is a German former football player. He spent 11 seasons in the Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association ...

, Rolf Rüssmann, Herbert Lütkebohmert,

Manfred Pohlschmidt Manfred Pohlschmidt (born 27 August 1940) is a retired Germany, German Association football, football player. Career Pohlschmidt started his Bundesliga career with SC Preußen Münster in the 1963–64 season, the club's only season in the Bunde ...

Hans Pirkner Johann "Hans" Pirkner (born 25 March 1946, in Vienna) is a former Austrian football forward. Club career Pirkner played for several clubs, including Schalke 04 (1969–1971), Austria Wien (1974–1978) and First Vienna FC. When at Schalke, he wa ...

, Jürgen Sobieray,

Klaus Fischer Klaus Fischer (born 27 December 1949) is a German former professional footballer and coach. He was a key player on the West Germany national team that lost the 1982 World Cup final to Italy. As a forward, he was noted for his bicycle kicks, and ...

, Reinhard Libuda,

Dieter Burdenski Dieter Burdenski (born 26 November 1950) is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Early and family life Born in Bremen, Germany, Dieter Burdenski is the father of Fabian Burdenski (1991–) and the son of Herbert ...

Klaus Senger Klaus Senger (born 19 October 1945) is a retired German footballer who played as a defender. He made 181 appearances in the Bundesliga for Schalke 04, Fortuna Düsseldorf and Rot-Weiss Essen Rot-Weiss Essen is a German association football ...

Jürgen Galbierz Jürgen or Jurgen is a popular masculine given name in Germany, Estonia, Belgium and the Netherlands. It is cognate with George. Notable people named Jürgen include: A * Jürgen Ahrend (born 1930), German organ builder *Jürgen Alzen (born 1 ...

, and

Heinz van Haaren Heinz van Haaren (born 3 June 1940 in Marl, Province of Westphalia) is a Dutch former football midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up a ...

. *

: Waldemar Slomiany and Jürgen Neumann. *

MSV Duisburg Meidericher Spielverein 02 e. V. Duisburg, commonly known as simply MSV Duisburg (), is a Football in Germany, German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed ''Die Zebras'' for their traditional striped jers ...

Volker Danner Volker Danner (born 21 August 1942; died 14 March 2005 in Wesel) was a German football player. He spent nine seasons in the Bundesliga with 1. FC Saarbrücken, Borussia Mönchengladbach, MSV Duisburg and Hamburger SV. Honours * Bundesliga c ...

and Gerhard Kentschke. *

Eintracht Braunschweig Braunschweiger Turn- und Sportverein Eintracht von 1895 e.V., commonly known as Eintracht Braunschweig () or BTSV (), is a German association football, football and sports club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding ...

Lothar Ulsaß Lothar Ulsaß (9 September 1940 – 18 June 1999) was a German professional footballer who played as a midfielder or striker. Club career Early in his career Ulsaß was a prolific goalscorer at Arminia Hannover in the second tier Amateurobe ...

Horst Wolter Horst Wolter (born 8 June 1942 in Berlin, Germany) is a German former international footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Club career A Bundesliga winner with Eintracht Braunschweig in 1967, Wolter played almost 250 West German top-flight m ...

Wolfgang Grzyb Wolfgang Grzyb (29 July 1940 – 7 October 2004) was a German footballer who played as a defender for Eintracht Braunschweig, spending 12 seasons in the Bundesliga. On 30 August 1975, Grzyb became Braunschweig's first player to receive a red ...

, Peter Kaack, Franz Merkhoffer, Bernd Gersdorff, Klaus Gerwien,

Rainer Skrotzki Rainer may refer to: People * Rainer (surname) * Rainer (given name) Other * Rainer Island, an island in Franz Josef Land, Russia * 16802 Rainer, an asteroid * Rainer Foundation, British charitable organisation See also * Rainier (disambiguation ...

, Eberhard Haun, Jaro Deppe,

Dietmar Erler Dietmar Erler (born 7 April 1947) is a German former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. After two seasons each with Arminia Bielefeld and Borussia Dortmund Erler transferred to Eintracht Braunschweig, where ...

Friedhelm Haebermann Friedhelm Haebermann (born 24 July 1946 in Duisburg) is a former German football player and manager. Haebermann made a total of 229 appearances for Eintracht Braunschweig in the Bundesliga during his playing career. He also represented West Ge ...

, Joachim Bäse,

Michael Polywka Michael Polywka (6 January 1944 – 12 January 2009) was a German footballer who played as a midfielder. Career Polywka started his senior career at SC Motor Jena (renamed into FC Carl Zeiss Jena in 1966) in East Germany. He defected from his ...

, and Burkhardt Öller.

Coaches

: Egon Piechaczek and Günter Brocker

Club officials

: Peter Maaßen *

: Wolfgang Holst * Offenbach:

, Friedrich Mann, Fritz Koch, and Waldemar Klein.

References

External links

Der Bundesliga-Skandal 1971: Das Ende der Unschuld
(in German)
Der Bundesliga-Skandal vor 34 Jahren
(in German)

(in German) {{Match fixing in association football

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

Association football controversies Sports scandals in Germany