French football bribery scandal part of 1992–93 French Division 1
The French football bribery scandal (French: Affaire VA-OM) 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.Aftermath
Two weeks after the match, Robert contacted Valenciennes magistrate Éric de Montgolfier and admitted his role in the bribery scandal. Detectives raided Robert's aunt's back garden and found F250,000. Tapie initially claimed that the money was a loan for Robert to start a restaurant, although on 17 June, Robert admitted that the money was related to bribery. On 30 June, French police raided the headquarters of Marseille Football Club. Twelve members of the Marseille team were questioned during a pre-season training session in the Pyrenees. Eydelie admitted paying the bribe and he and Bernès were arrested and put in jail for "active corruption". Robert was later arrested in Périgueux.: 74  Christophe Robert's wife Marie-Christine admitted to collecting the bribe for Eydelie and was charged with conspiracy.In July 1993, Bernès left his role at Marseille due to the scandal. In September, the French Football Federation (FFF) removed Marseille's French Division 1 title, and UEFA prevented Marseille from competing in the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, the 1993 European Super Cup and the 1993 Intercontinental Cup. The FFF also suspended Eydelie, Robert and Burruchaga. The French Division 1 title was offered to runners-up Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), but they refused it so no team was classed as winning the 1992–93 title. PSG were also offered the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League spot vacated by Marseille, but they refused it because their sponsors Canal+ thought that taking the spot would cause issues with their viewers in Provence. As a result, third-placed AS Monaco took the spot instead. PSG instead competed in the 1993–94 European Cup Winners' Cup, as the winners of the 1992–93 Coupe de France.In 1994, Tapie was ordered to resign as president of Marseille. He was replaced by Pierre Cangioni. Tapie and Bernès were banned for life by the FFF, and the players involved were banned from French football until 1 January 1996. Bernès' ban was overturned by FIFA in 1996.Due to the bribery scandal and financial difficulties, Marseille were forcibly relegated to Division 2 for the 1994–95 season. Despite the forced relegation, Marseille were not banned from European competitions, and thus competed in the 1994–95 UEFA Cup. They lost in the second round to Sion on away goals. In 1995, the club filed for bankruptcy and were forced to spend a second season in Division 2. The club returned to Division 1 for the 1996–97 season.In 1995, Glassmann was awarded the FIFA Fair Play Award for refusing to accept a bribe.
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