Spain ended in a goalless draw with Cape Verde at the World Cup. (Image: Getty)
The draw between Spain and Cape Verde at the World Cup was one of several matches at the tournament that were the subject of a match-fixing investigation. Luis de la Fuente’s team defeated Argentina in the final and won the World Cup, but they ended up in a goalless draw with Cape Verde in the first group stage match of the tournament, and were forced to concede one point.
It was the draw with Cape Verde that the Council of Europe’s gambling watchdog, the Copenhagen Group, flagged as suspicious. Spain’s draw with Cape Verde left observers stunned that one of the bottom teams could pick up a point against the future world champions. The match was given a “yellow notice,” meaning authorities deemed it to require further investigation, and was one of seven matches to be flagged during the World Cup.
US cryptocurrency-based prediction market Polymarket lost out on victory in a match that appeared to be a formality at the start of the tournament, with around £3.6 million bet on Spain.
But after officials examined betting patterns, information surrounding the outcome and social media activity, they concluded it was just an unusual upset.
They found that Spain had 27 shots on goal compared to six for their opponents. However, in the first Group H game in Atlanta, none of the seven shots on target could beat the rousing Cape Verdean goalkeeper Vosinha.
The 40-year-old, who is currently not at the club, made superb saves to deny goals from Mikel Oyarzabal, Aymeric Laporte and Ferran Torres. When Spain attacked Cape Verdegole, they also hit the crossbar. The underdog team drew with both Uruguay and Saudi Arabia and advanced to the final round as second place in their group.
In the end, they lost to current world champion Argentina 3-2 in extra time and were eliminated, but Spain defeated Argentina in the final and won the title.
FIFA’s Integrity Task Force concluded that there were “no signs of suspicious betting activity or match manipulation,” and the Copenhagen Group agreed with this verdict, reclassifying the result as either “green” or “normal.”
A source close to world football’s governing body told the Daily Star: “It was a remarkable result. The fact that it was reported as a potentially questionable result shows how well Cape Verde did. But it was simply a big shock. Shocks happen in football.”
Bosinha helped Cape Verde to a goalless draw with Spain at the World Cup (Image: Getty)
“Although Argentina lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in their opening match in Qatar in 2022, they won the World Cup that year.
“This time Cape Verde were unbeaten in every match of the 90 minutes. Argentina needed extra time to beat them. It was a fairy-tale performance that made the World Cup special.”
The Copenhagen Group was one of a number of independent organizations, including the FBI, that monitored the tournament’s 104 games for signs of possible match-fixing.
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The red card given to South Africa’s Themba Zwane in the 84th minute of the tournament’s opening game against Mexico was also initially issued as a yellow card, but was later downgraded to an “normal” card. Another cause for concern was the 3.5-minute delay in the video assistant referee team disallowing Spain’s Ferran Torres’ goal in the 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia.
Also attracting attention was the surge in bets that American striker Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension will be overturned and he will be able to play in the round of 16 against Belgium.
In fact, it was through the personal intervention of Donald Trump, who appealed directly to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, that his suspension was suspended and he was allowed to play. Belgium performed a “card shuffle” on the pitch after defeating the US side 4-1.
The Copenhagen group noted that no other bets could be placed on whether the red card ban would be overturned for the entire tournament.
However, FIFA told the Daily Star that it firmly stands by the findings of the Integrity Task Force, which found no evidence of match result manipulation during the tournament.
A spokesperson said: “FIFA supports the conclusions of the Integrity Task Force, which was the result of a collaborative effort by a number of independent expert groups.”
“Gambling monitoring reports and other relevant data and information provided by members of the Task Force, as well as information received through available reporting mechanisms, were analyzed and shared among members of the Task Force in line with operational procedures.
“As a result, we found no signs of suspicious betting or match manipulation related to any matches.”
