Bundesliga scandal (1971)

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

The manipulation of games was revealed when the president of Kickers Offenbach, Horst-Gregorio Canellas, presented an audio-tape to DFB officials and a few journalists at his 50th birthday garden-party. In that tape, several players, including German internationals Bernd Patzke and Manfred Manglitz, could be heard offering to let themselves be bribed to help Offenbach avoid relegation.

The chief prosecutor of the DFB, Hans Kindermann, found out that amongst others the 17 April 1971 game Schalke-Bielefeld that ended 0–1 for the visitors had been "sold" (or thrown) by Schalke's players and board of directors. Afterwards, nearly all Schalke players were banned for long periods, while several lifetime bans were imposed.

The players maintained their innocence, and even swore an oath to that, but the oath was eventually proven to be false. Schalke's rivals, especially from the Ruhr, 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 revoked. Offenbach would have been relegated due to their sporting performance anyway, despite the manipulated games, but Bielefeld was 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.

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