D'Arcy Waldegrave: The timing of the A-League scandal leaves much to be desired

The A-League fixing scandal has come at the worst possible time for the competition.  

On the eve of the two second-leg semifinal fixtures, the dirty underbelly of professional sport was exposed for all to see.  

Sadly, this was hardly a shock. The only surprise is that it’s taken such a long time for an unfortunate occurrence such as this to surface in this neck of the woods.   

The sporting world is as pure as driven silt. This we know. From spot-fixing to administrative corruption, doping to underhanded physical on-field abuse, sport is a microcosm of the frailties of the human state.  

There are bad eggs. Bad actors. It’s a reality we must accept.  

The back story in the A-League case is where the interest really lies for me.   

As we know from previous fixing cases, they can sometimes stem from the smallest of indiscretions, an innocuous albeit poor decision, that can quickly gain momentum and drag the player into making bigger and more damning calls.  

Why any professional athlete would risk flushing their career, their reputation, and their livelihood down the drain for $10,000 is beyond me. It’s beyond stupid, there must be darker forces in action.  

As for the implications this yellow card controversy has had on the outcomes of other fixtures, we will never know. Has this cast a shadow over the legitimacy of the league? What other untoward activities have occurred yet remain undetected?   

The timing of the arrests leaves little to be desired from the A-League's perspective, but the long arm of the law won’t be restrained by the scheduling of the finals, regardless of bad press at the wrong time for a league who’s struggles of recent times are well known.  

But really, I’m going to focus on what really matters.   

Lets gone Wellington!  

Up the Nix.  

That’ll do.   

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