Black Bag Fever Dividing Spain (Clubs paying other clubs to beat their rivals e.g. Barca offering Deportivo money if they beat Real - a lil "incentive")
As La Liga reaches the final three matches with the title still wide open the familiar phenomenon of what’s become known as 'Black Bag Fever' is starting to break out across the Iberian peninsula…
The concept is very simple: behind-the-scenes execs from one club offer another club some under-the-table money to another club.
The image is clearly one of a black bag being passed from hand to hand and thus the word 'Maletín' (literally small case or briefcase) is short for a cash payment offered in return for a win.
This could be seen as a damnable if the cash is offered in return for throwing a match, but the jury is still out on how cash offered as an incentive to win is moral, immoral – or just amoral.
After all, if that is the case then every single non-amateur player and club exec is guilty as they receive payment in order to win matches – a clearly ludicrous situation.
Then again, others will point out that these payments are designed to deliberately sabotage other clubs by spurring outside players to raise their performance to down a rival.
A third group would just shrug shoulders and say "¿Y Que?" ("So What?"). They may exist, they may not, but they really shouldn’t be a cause for bedwetting paranoia.
The issue is a perennial one and many players are now voicing their opinions on the subject as the race comes down to the wire and the conditions for 'Black Bag Fever' reach the perfect setting: a situation where a win or loss can dictate the championship winner – and losers.
Getafe man Javier Casquero will face FC Barcelona next round as admitted the system does exist and that there is no shame in accepting payment for something that would be done anyway.
"Right now theres been nothing mentioned, but if there is an offer from outside for us to win, which we will try to do anyway, it’s definitely welcome. We may already be qualified for the UEFA Cup but we always play to win – it’s about honour", he stressed. In that case, the theory goes that a low-ranking member of the Real Madrid hierarchy will contact an opposite number at Getafe and make an offer to be communicated to the players before the match – a certain amount payable in the event of a win. Getafe Full-back Javier Paredes thought that perhaps the best thing for all concerned would be to legalise these type of payments. "I feel that these payments should be legal – if your club pays you to win as well there cannot be a problem", he explained."However, to be paid to lose is a different kettle of fish. Professional players have victory in their blood, even in a game of beach tennis, so we always play to win", he added, echoing a sentiment held by many players in Spain.Team-mate Mario Cotelo coaxed a giggle or two out of the assembled reporters at the Getafe press conference by pointing out that the 'Maletínes' "are like Bin Laden; everybody knows they exist but nobody can see them. This is a subject that always comes up when theres a tough finish to the Liga", going on to fit in with the others in a blanket denial that they had been offered anything. One of the key characteristics of a 'Maletín' is that people may give their thumbs up – but never openly admitting to receiving a red cent. Deportivo de la Coruña midfielder Joan Verdú also spoke out in an interview with Spanish radio station COM Ràdio. Verdú, who signed for the Galician side after graduating from the Barcelona B academy, was also in favour of positive payments.
"The team will do everything that we can to win against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, theres no need for bonuses to guarantee that much, but I’m in favour of anything that encourages you to win and that is legal, so my phone is on in case I get a call from Barcelona", he quipped.
FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi simply didn’t see the need to offer this sort of financial incentive to professional players who are already well-paid. "They [the next three rivals to face Real Madrid] don’t need extra encouragement", he commented." The fact that reputations are at stake means that people will still play to win no matter if they receive a bit on the side. Therefore I really don’t se the need to offer bonuses to third parties. We just need to do what we can and see how things pan out at the end." Good, bad or just neutral, the 'Maletín' is bound to be mentioned in the wake of a number of results that will occur this weekend, but mostly just as a scapegoat. Some clubs will cry blue murder and wave fists and legal writs at others, but to no avail. That’s for sure. The only uncertain point is if these payments really do make a difference…and if the club that benefits can rest on the laurels of a guilt-free title.
