Nine scandals that rocked the sporting world
BBC Sport · C · trust 38/100
Manchester City being found guilty of fuelling an era of glittering Premier League success via a network of sponsorship deals, found by an independent commission to be a "sham", has shaken the world of sport.
The lure of glory and riches on the biggest stages have tempted plenty of others to cheat.
BBC Sport looks back on nine more sporting scandals, stretching back more than a century.
Cancer survivor. Cycling legend. American hero. Cheat.
Lance Armstrong had spent years vehemently and aggressively insisting that he had won all seven of his Tour de France titles between 1999 and 2005 without the help of performance-enhancing drugs.
His story was remarkable. Aged 25, Armstrong had been diagnosed with testicular cancer, with doctors warning he was likely to die given the disease had spread to other parts of his body.
He not only survived, but returned to dominate top-level cycling. His Livestrong Foundation was wildly successful, selling millions of yellow wristbands to raise money to support fellow cancer sufferers.
However, as the evidence and former team-mates allegations against him stacked up, Armstrong was stripped of his Tour de France titles.
Armstong eventually confessed to cheating in a blockbuster interview with talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
"I made those decisions, they were my mistake and I'm here to say sorry," he said, adding that the culture in professional cycling made using drugs non-negotiable.
Published 18 January 2013 South Africa's golden boy undone by love of money Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Hansie Cronje's fall from grace came as a shock to South Africa
Hansie Cronje was the golden boy of South African sport.
Good looking and charming, he led the nation's cricket team with style and authority.
President Nelson Mandela singled out Cronje in 1996 for the "excellent manner" in which he captained the Proteas.
However, Cronje's love of money, combined with a fast-growing betting industry and the organised crime it attracted, proved his downfall.
Cronje entertained the offers of match-fixers, calling team meetings to discuss the possibility of throwing matches and sharing thousands of dollars in inducements.
Most infamously, Cronje contrived to lose a rain-affected Test against England in 2000.
With South Africa still in the midst of their first innings on the final day, Cronje convinced England counterpart Nasser Hussain that in the interest of sporting entertainment each side should forfeit an innings, producing a sudden run-chase and giving England a shot at victory.
Cronje was praised for his Corinthian spirit. In reality, he had been motivated by a bribe of £5,000 to ensure the match did not end in a draw.
Cronje was undone when an Indian police wiretap of a bookmaker caught him in discussions about fixing matches.
Cronje confessed in early 2000, was banned from cricket for life and died in a plane crash two years later at the age of 32.
Hansie Cronje, match-fixing and plane crash that left a complex legacy
Published 30 July 2025 F1's 'Crashgate' erupts in Singapore Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Renault initially said that Nelson Piquet Jr's claim he was instructed to crash deliberately was an attempt to blackmail them into retaining him as a driver
There was something particular about turn 17 of the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
In 2008, before the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix was held at the circuit, Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr knew it did not have any overhead cranes to lift a damaged car from the track. There were no side entrances to allow a stranded driver to be pushed out of danger's way by marshals either.
On lap 14, Piquet Jr found himself in exactly in that unfortunate position. And, despite his initial claim that he had made a "simple mistake", the Brazilian had put himself there deliberately.
When Renault dropped him in 2009, Piquet Jr revealed that he steered himself into a concrete wall to crash his car. The safety car was deployed as officials cleared debris off the track.
Crucially, Piquet Jr's team-mate Fernando Alonso was the only frontrunner to have stopped for fuel and new tyres at the point of the crash.
As Alonso's rivals went into the pits, the Spaniard, benefiting from the reduced gaps caused by the safety car, moved up the field and went on to win the race.
While Alonso was cleared of any wrongdoing or knowledge of the plot, Renault team principal Flavio Briatore and chief technical officer Pat Symonds were banned from F1 for several years.
Published 12 September 2018 Under the cover of darkness - the Premier League fix Image source, Shutterstock Image caption, The Upton Park lights went out after Frank Lampard's second-half equaliser against Crystal Palace
Frank Lampard wheeled away in celebration after his well-hit shot from the edge of the penalty area beat Kevin Miller in the Crystal Palace goal in the 65th minute of a Monday evening Premier League game in November 1997.
As he was mobbed by team-mates, Upton Park was plunged into darkness.
The following month similar happened at Selhurst Park. Thirteen seconds into the second half - with Wimbledon and Arsenal goalless - the lights went off. The Christmas lights in nearby Croydon were raised as a possible cause.
An Asian betting syndicate had pulled the plug, using a remote control circuit breaker, to get each match abandoned at a scoreline which would maximise their profits.
The gang were foiled in their attempts to pull the deception for a third time. They had bribed a security guard at Charlton Athletic to allow them to plant a device at The Valley before Liverpool's visit in February.
However, a suspicious member of staff at the club tipped off police.
Four men were given sentences of between 18 months and four years for their involvement.
Taking the urine in Sochi Image source, Getty Images Image caption, The scale of Russian deception was laid out in the McLaren report, which revealed a widespread state programme…
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