World Cup betting report flags Zwane red card

Compiled by Dylan Bettencourt

• A betting watchdog gave Themba Zwane’s red card a yellow warning while checking possible World Cup match-fixing risks.

• Fifa found no suspicious betting or match manipulation, while Zwane’s three-match ban remained after South Africa lost its appeal.

Bafana Bafana star Themba Zwane’s red card against Mexico has been flagged in a report checking possible betting problems at the World Cup.

However, the yellow warning does not mean match-fixing took place.

The Athletic reported that Zwane’s red card was among seven incidents flagged by the Group of Copenhagen.

The independent group was created by the Council of Europe to watch for possible fixing in sport.

It uses four warning levels. Green means normal, yellow means slightly worrying, orange means more serious and red is the highest warning.

The group watched 104 World Cup matches and placed 15 under closer watch.

Zwane was sent off in the 84th minute of Bafana’s 2-0 loss to Mexico on 11 June.

He caught Roberto Alvarado in the face with his arm while trying to hold off the Mexican player.

Many South Africans believed the contact was not planned.

The red card was given after referee Wilton Sampaio checked the incident on video assistant referee footage.

Zwane later received a three-match ban. South Africa appealed but lost.

The betting report also flagged a US$4.8-million betting market linked to Spain’s draw with Cape Verde.

A long VAR delay before Spain had a goal cancelled against Saudi Arabia was also flagged.

Yellow warnings can be caused by sudden changes in betting odds, social media rumours or information from other sources.

Fifa’s own report found no suspicious betting or signs that any World Cup match had been fixed.

Pictured above: Themba Zwane was sent off during Bafana Bafana’s World Cup defeat to Mexico.

Image source: @BafanaBafana