The French football bribery scandal () occurred during a 1992–93 French Division 1 match between Valenciennes and Olympique de Marseille. Marseille president Bernard Tapie and general manager Jean-Pierre Bernès contacted Valenciennes players Jorge Burruchaga, Jacques Glassmann, and Christophe Robert through Marseille player Jean-Jacques Eydelie, who asked them to underperform in the match so that Marseille could stay fresher for their 1993 UEFA Champions League final match against A.C. Milan six days later. Burruchaga and Robert accepted the bribe. However, Glassmann refused to partake in the bribe and was the one who publicly revealed the scandal. Glassmann was awarded the 1995 FIFA Fair Play Award for refusing to partake in the bribe.
The scandal led to the league title being taken away from Marseille, but second-placed Paris Saint-Germain declined it so no team is classed as winning the 1992–93 league title. At the subsequent trial, Tapie, Bernès, Burruchaga, Eydelie, and Robert were all convicted of corruption. Tapie and Eydelie were sentenced to jail terms, whilst Bernès, Burruchaga, and Robert all received suspended sentences.
History
Context
Prior to the 1992–93 French Division 1 season, Olympique de Marseille won the previous four French Division 1 championships. They lost the 1991 European Cup Final to Red Star Belgrade with two players unavailable, a circumstance which Marseille president Bernard Tapie did not want to repeat. Marseille had qualified for the 1993 UEFA Champions League Final against A.C. Milan, following a 1–0 win over Club Brugge in the last match of the group stage. Marseille were also close to winning the French Division 1 title.
Organising of the bribe
In his autobiography, Valenciennes player Jacques Glassmann said that captain Christophe Robert had asked him to forfeit the Marseille match the day beforehand, 19 May. Bernard Tapie asked Marseille player Jean-Jacques Eydelie to act as conduit to bribe Valenciennes players Glassmann, Robert and Jorge Burruchaga. In his 2006 book, Eydelie described the event: "Bernard Tapie said to us, 'It is imperative that you get in touch with your former Nantes team-mates at Valenciennes (there were two of them including Burruchaga). We don't want them acting like idiots and breaking us before the final with Milan." At around 21:00 CEST (19:00 UTC) that day, Robert spoke to Eydelie, and he later spoke to Marseille general manager Jean-Pierre Bernès. During the call, Glassmann refused to participate in the bribe, whereas the other two accepted the bribe, and an agreement was made for Robert's wife to collect the money from Eydelie. On the day of the match, Robert convinced the Valenciennes team to deliberately lose the match.
The match
The match was played at Valenciennes' home ground, Stade Nungesser, on 20 May 1993. Marseille's Alen Bokšić scored the only goal in the 21st minute. In the 23rd minute, Christophe Robert was substituted due to an alleged injury after a seemingly innocuous tackle from Éric Di Meco. Referee Jean-Marie Véniel remarked that the game was unusual because Jorge Burruchaga did not dispute any refereeing decisions, as was his normal style, whereas Glassmann spent the match running like he was trying to prove a point. At half time in the match, Glassmann told Valenciennes manager Boro Primorac about the bribe. During the second half of the match, Glassmann told Véniel about the bribe but he did not specifically name the individuals involved. Véniel spoke to the linesmen and Marseille captain Didier Deschamps about the allegations and noted them in his post-match report. Immediately after the match, police entered the Marseille locker room and questioned some Marseille players.
By winning the match, Marseille secured the 1992–93 French Division 1 title. The 1993 UEFA Champions League Final was held six days later. Marseille beat Milan 1–0, with a 43rd-minute goal from defender Basile Boli. They became the first French team to win the European Cup.