Lastly, the West German bribery scandal in 1971. The shame. The scandal shattered the image of North-West European football, the bastion of fairness. Bribes and corruption were South American, South European, and East European atrocities; they belonged to dark, underdeveloped people. Northern football was sparkling clean… until the shock of Germans bribing Germans, and scheming, and fixing results. The scandal was discussed earlier, no need to repeat it here. Except for one last point: North-Western Europeans are always quick to point accusing finger at the corrupt Southerners: they not only bribe, but when caught nothing happens to the guilty. Well, what exactly happened in fair West Germany? Not much really, when it came to punishment of the guilty.

Manfred Manglitz

Bernd Patzke – two of the big culprits.