The World Cup might be over, but controversy continues to unfold in its aftermath, with of Spain’s matches flagged over potential ‘match manipulation’.

La Roja triumphed over the summer and defeated defending champions Argentina 1-0 in the final to win their second World Cup. Their route to the final wasn’t an easy one and they beat Austria, Portugal, Belgium and France in the knockout rounds.

Two of their matches have been included in notices raised regarding possible match manipulation from potential betting irregularities identified during the tournament, per The Athletic.

Spain Matches Flagged For Possible ‘Match Manipulation’

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

FIFA only issued a statement on Thursday refuting claims of match manipulation and stated that their Task Force “identified no suspicious betting activity or indications of match manipulation in connection with any fixture.”

On Wednesday, the Copenhagen Group announced that seven “yellow alerts” were detected, which means “multiple indicators of irregularities.” Throughout the tournament, an estimated $240 billion in total betting was reached, which is about double the amount at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

There are four levels: green “normal”, yellow “low alert”, orange “high alert”, and red “highest risk level.” While the report has yet to be published, a summary has been released by the Council of Europe.

Their findings include Spain’s shock 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, which started their World Cup campaign in disappointment. It’s said that bets worth $4.8 million (£3.6m) were placed by the American cryptocurrency-based prediction platform “Polymarket” on La Roja failing to beat the African nation, and this proved to be one of the biggest surprises of the tournament.

Now ranked 64th in the world, Cape Verde held on for a point during the group stage game. This was the only time Luis de la Fuente’s men failed to score during the campaign.

Spain’s 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia is also named in the findings due to a three-and-a-half-minute delay by VAR to disallow Ferran Torres’ goal. The Barcelona star was judged to have been in an offside position but the technology took much longer than usual to rule the goal out.

Findings Also Include Balogun Red Card Controversy

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Other incidents that were flagged included South Africa’s Themba Zwane receiving a red card in the World Cup opening defeat to co-hosts Mexico. An ‘extremely harsh’ decision resulted in a three-match ban after he was adjudged to have illegally raised his arm on Roberto Alvarado despite the Africans being on the attack.

Polymarket was again named for opening a market on July 2nd that asked: “Will Folarin Balogun play against Belgium?” This came on the same day the USA striker was sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 and three days before FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee suspended his one-match ban to allow him to play.

Overall, 15 matches were placed under close monitoring, with particular focus on the final round of the group stage. They analysed 12 controversial cases, including those mentioned above.

Crystal Palace have made a formal offer to Augsburg to sign defender Chrislain Matsima, according to Sky Sports Germany.

The Eagles are looking to be active in the market for their new manager Pierre Sage, as they prepare to enter a new era at Selhurst Park following the departure of Oliver Glasner when his contract expired at the end of the last campaign.

The club have already agreed a deal to allow defender Maxence Lacroix to join Chelsea for around £52m, with a medical scheduled to take place today (Friday 24 July), and now the south London club have made their move to bring in his replacement.

Crystal Palace Make Matsima Bid

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Matsima, who has been described as ‘exceptional’, has been identified as Crystal Palace’s top target to replace the France international, and the club have now made their first formal bid to Bundesliga outfit Augsburg for his services.

According to Florian Plettenberg, Palace have tabled a €20m (£17m) offer for the 24-year-old, but Augsburg have immediately rejected. It’s currently unclear what their valuation for the defender is, but it’s stated that they are expecting Palace to return with a fresh offer later today, suggesting a deal is not far from being done.

In fact, Crystal Palace already have a full agreement in place with the defender about bringing him to the Premier League, and the player is very keen on making the move.

Matsima was a regular starter under Thierry Henry for the French Olympics team in 2022, as they reached the final and earned a silver medal, and he has continued to develop in recent years. Having come through the ranks at Monaco, Matsima has spent the last two seasons with Augsburg, and he is now ready to follow Lacroix from the WWK Arena to Selhurst Park.

Sage Needs Ready-Made Stars

Hannah Mckay via Reuters

Palace are in a big summer of change currently, having lost Glasner and Lacroix this summer, which follows losing Marc Guehi in January. A new manager will have his own ideas and philosophies, but if he is going to continue the club’s progress in recent years then he needs to be backed.

So far the club have brought in Oscar Mingueza on a free transfer, but Sage will need more than that to be successful, and bringing in a player like Matsima to replace Lacroix will help bridge that gap.

Steve Parish is keen to keep hold of top stars like Adam Wharton in the rest of the window, and it’s clear that they are now ready to start making moves to bring in fresh blood to the squad.

Former boxing world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has revealed the real reason why he will fight Poland’s Mariusz Wach in Thailand today for the inaugural WBC Metta Humanitarian Belt.

The bout is set to take place at the Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattaya at around 10pm local time, or around 4pm in the UK. Unusually, Fury is set to fight first on the six-fight card and the entire event will not be broadcast.

The match-up is viewed as a tune-up before a slated all-British superfight against rival Anthony Joshua in November.

That November bout is, however, contingent on both men winning their respective fights this weekend, with AJ scheduled to compete against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga on Saturday at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia.

The 37-year-old Manchester-born fighter has said that he wanted to give something back to Thailand and its people as he has been training there since December.

Fury has announced he will donate $250,000 to the Father Ray Foundation in Thailand to support disadvantaged young people.

Tyson Fury Explains Thailand & No Broadcast Decision

“Yeah, it’s for the WBC Humanitarian Belt, that’s all the funds that we receive for the fight, from the tickets and what have you,” the Gypsy King said in an exclusive interview with SunSport.

“They’ll go to a charity called the Father Ray Foundation, supporting children with mental health, mental disorders, mental problems, starving kids, homeless, all that sort of stuff, whatever they’ve got,” he said. “A very good cause, for sure.

“I’ve been training here since December. Great people, good place, give something back,” he added. “I thought on a big show, I’d never had a proper fight, never had a big fight here, a boxing fight.”

Fury’s last fight was broadcast live on Netflix in April. In the bout, he beat Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov via unanimous decision. However, this fight is viewed very much as a formality. Wach is 46 years old and has won only three of his last 10 fights.

The World Boxing Council specially created the WBC Metta Humanitarian Belt for the fight to recognise the ‘extraordinary humanitarian service and the positive impact boxing has beyond the ring.’

“Fury’s humanitarian work in Thailand has become a defining part of his legacy. His upcoming boxing event in Pattaya has been transformed into a major charitable initiative, with the British champion donating 100% of the proceeds from 1,500 VIP ticket sales to organisations supporting starving, underprivileged, and homeless children throughout Pattaya,” the WBC said in a statement.