Skip to main content
FourFourTwo FourFourTwo FOOTBALL NEWS, FEATURES, QUIZZES
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of 대한민국
대한민국
flag of Türkiye
Türkiye
  • Soccer Cleat Buying Guides
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Video
  • Features
  • Quizzes
  • Clubs
  • More
    • Interviews
    • Features
    • The Magazine Archive
    • Subscribe
    • Lists
    • How to watch
    • About
FourFourTwo Magazine
FourFourTwo Magazine
Why subscribe?
  • Fascinating feature articles, covering everything from grass-roots football to the international scene
  • 'ACCESS ALL AREAS' pass to exclusive interviews with the biggest and best names in the game!
From$29.99
View
Trending
  • WATCH the UCL
  • Transfers
  • Interviews
  • Messi
  • Ronaldo
  • EPL

Recommended reading

Steve McManaman in action for Liverpool, January 1995
Stories 'I fell on the floor and shouted for a penalty. Someone pulled me up and said, "Don’t cheat to win penalties". It was Steve McManaman. I never did it again!' Ex-Liverpool forward reveals harsh lesson he learnt from his team-mate on Reds debut
Brazilian midfielder Ronaldinho celebrates the victory of his team, 30 June 2002 in Yokohama, Japan, after the final of the 2002 FIFA World Cup between Brazil and Germany. Brazil won the final 2-0. AFP PHOTO - Patrick HERTZOG
Stories The ridiculous new reason players will get yellow cards in Brazil and the former Premier League star who inspired the rule
STUTTGART, GERMANY - APRIL 08: Jan Age Fjoertoft Looks on during the Bundesliga match between VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund at Mercedes-Benz Arena on April 8, 2022 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Harry Langer/vi/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Stories 'The goalkeeper got injured and was stretchered off. I ran over to him saying, "You’re a coward, because you know I’m going to score!" – and I actually did': Ex-Premier League striker reveals on-pitch comment had made to international team-mate
LUSAIL CITY, QATAR - DECEMBER 18: Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates with the World Cup Trophy after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina (3) and France (3) (Argentina win 4-2 on penalties) at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)
Quiz Quiz! Can you name the players, teams and coaches to have unlocked these landmark achievements?
RANKED! The 25 best Champions League games of all time
Lists RANKED! The 25 best Champions League games of all time
Career paths quiz
Quiz Quiz! Can you name these 50 players from their career paths?
New Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho during a press conference, June 2004
Quiz Quiz! Can you get 100% in our big Jose Mourinho quiz?
  1. Features

A brief history of cheating: 20 of football's dirtiest ever tricks

By Greg Lea published 26 September 2017

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

20. Moller's winning swan dive

20. Moller's winning swan dive

Andreas Moller’s dive on April 13, 1995 wasn’t subtle. In fact, the word ‘blatant’ doesn’t even begin to cover his turfwards tumble late in the game between Borussia Dortmund and Karlsruher. When the latter’s defender Dirk Schuster said “a small car would have fitted between me and him,” he was barely exaggerating.

The only person in the stadium who didn’t break into laughter was the referee, who pointed to the spot. Moller’s simulation was so outrageous that he became the first German player to be fined and suspended for a dive. He probably thought it was a price worth paying – the resultant goal effectively won Dortmund the league.

Page 1 of 20
Page 1 of 20
19. The original cheaters

19. The original cheaters

This early case of foul play occurred more than two decades before the Laws of the Game were even drawn up, and is therefore perhaps the first ever example of cheating in the game. It was Christmas Day 1841 and Lancashire pub sides The Body Guards and The Fearnoughts were contesting a 12-a-side fixture for a cash prize and barrel of gin.

With the game still goalless, a tired Body Guards player ushered a supporter onto the pitch to take a kick in his place. The umpire decided this was “foul play according to the rules agreed by each party” and awarded the victory – and the gin – to the Fearnoughts.

Page 2 of 20
Page 2 of 20
18. Big Phil’s little helpers

18. Big Phil’s little helpers

Luiz Felipe Scolari, future England nemesis, made his name at Gremio with some impressively underhand tactics. Underarm tactics, in fact: his ball-boys were instructed to lob extra balls onto the pitch to disrupt opposition attacks, and his players were accused of tapping up the local police to give visiting players a sly thump in the event of a ruckus.

On one occasion during his time in charge of Portugal, Scolari took matters into his own hands by marching onto the pitch to punch Serbian defender Ivica Dragutinovic. If you can’t cheat them, chin 'em.

Page 3 of 20
Page 3 of 20
17. Souey's narrow victory

17. Souey's narrow victory

In September 1987, Graeme Souness used a ploy out of mentor Jack Charlton’s playbook to help Rangers defeat Dynamo Kiev in the European Cup first round. As he told FourFourTwo: “We lost 1-0 away to a talented side. At Ibrox, I thought we might beat them if we could be physical. At that time, the pitch didn’t have to be a fixed width as long as it was above a certain minimum. So I made it the absolute minimum.”

To maximise the surprise, he only narrowed the pitch on the day of the match. Rangers triumphed 2-0, but the rules were subsequently tightened to ensure clubs declared their pitch size before each season.

Page 4 of 20
Page 4 of 20
16. "Not the face!"

16. "Not the face!"

And the Academy Award for Best Unsporting Actor goes to… although, to be fair, Rivaldo might just have really sensitive knees. The otherwise-brilliant Brazilian was ready to take a corner at World Cup 2002 when Turkey’s Hakan Unsal booted the ball back slightly stroppily, hitting Rivaldo’s knee and setting off such a sensory headrush that he plummeted while executing a double facepalm.

Unsal saw red, and Rivaldo was fined £4,500. He set up both goals in the final, but many remember him for the slapstick fall.

Page 5 of 20
Page 5 of 20
15. "Some idiots are on the pitch..."

15. "Some idiots are on the pitch..."

And so to the most pointless pitch invasion of all time. With 88 minutes on the clock, and their team trailing Tottenham 4-2 in a 1993 FA Cup quarter-final at Maine Road, around 400 Manchester City fans stormed the field of play (Terry Phelan had just pulled a goal back) and – bizarrely – goaded the Spurs fans who were singing merrily about going to Wembley.

The Sky Blues supporters reckoned that, by doing this, they could get the match abandoned and thus earn their team another crack at Tottenham. Despite the referee suspending play for 12 minutes, the result stood and City chairman Peter Swales described the invading City fans as “total idiots”.

Page 6 of 20
Page 6 of 20
14. Forest cut down by dodgy ref

14. Forest cut down by dodgy ref

Despite controversy surrounding his refereeing of an infamous 1970 El Clasico, Emilio Guruceta was selected to take charge of Anderlecht’s UEFA Cup semi-final meeting with Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest. Leading 2-0 after the first leg, Brian Clough’s men were defeated 3-0 in the second after having a perfectly good goal disallowed and two strong penalty appeals waved away.

A decade later, a retired Anderlecht official admitted to giving Guruceta an “interest-free £15,000 loan” in return for him helping Anderlecht reach the final. Guruceta wasn’t around to face justice, though: he was killed in a car crash in 1987.

Page 7 of 20
Page 7 of 20
13. Die Roten turn rotten

13. Die Roten turn rotten

Bayern Munich haven’t always been a European superpower; back in 1964, they were battling to enter the pan-regional play-offs for promotion to the Bundesliga. Finishing first in the southern regional league would see the Bavarians face a highly regarded Aachen side from the west, a fate they were desperate to avoid.

Manager Zlatko Cajkovski therefore told his players to throw their penultimate game. To be on the safe side he also fielded five reserve players, although they weren’t in on the act – which is why, with 20 minutes left, Bayern were 4-3 up. Cajkovski promptly bellowed some instructions from the sidelines and Bayern subsequently lost 6-4. They still didn’t win promotion, though.

Page 8 of 20
Page 8 of 20
12. Estudiantes' little prick

12. Estudiantes' little prick

Former Argentina boss (and, briefly, practising gynaecologist) Carlos Bilardo couldn’t be a more dastardly practitioner of football’s dark arts if he started every press conference by spinning slowly around in his chair, cackling and stroking a white cat. A midfield enforcer for Estudiantes’ cynical ’60s side, Bilardo hid needles in his socks for subtle foe-pricking.

As a manager, he encouraged players to rub Deep Heat in opponents’ eyes, and offered Brazil doped water during a 1990 World Cup clash. The obvious next step? Politics. Mysterious ‘Carlos Bilardo – Presidente’ posters appeared in Buenos Aires in 2015.

Page 9 of 20
Page 9 of 20
11. The king of gamesmanship

11. The king of gamesmanship

Admittedly, growing the grass at your home stadium by a few inches in order to hold up hoofed balls isn’t technically cheating, but former Cambridge boss John Beck’s assertion that he never “came close to breaking any rules” is pushing it.

Whether it was giving the opponents heavily soaked balls for warm-ups, altering the heating in their dressing rooms or swapping the sugar meant for rivals’ half-time tea with salt, it wasn’t just the U’s long-ball tactics that made them as popular as scotch bonnets in the jock strap.

Page 10 of 20
Page 10 of 20
10. Hertha's casket case owner

10. Hertha's casket case owner

In the mid-1960s, Hertha Berlin turned rule-bending into an art form. In those days, German football had a wage-capping system, and there were also strict limits on how much could be spent on transfers and bonuses for players. Hertha – a club based in a city surrounded by a large wall, lest we forget – had to make underhand payments to persuade transfer targets to join them.

But where did all the cash come from, and why didn’t it show up on the balance sheets? Well, treasurer-cum-funeral-director Gunter Herzog cunningly printed 55,000 match tickets off the books, and hid them from the tax authorities in the last place they’d look – his coffins.

Page 11 of 20
Page 11 of 20
9. Attack of the drones

9. Attack of the drones

Believe it or not, a military-style drone once targeted professional footballers without a banner attached calling for Arsene Wenger’s resignation. Before their opening World Cup 2014 fixture, a France training session was interrupted when an unmanned aircraft – thought to be on a spying mission for les Bleus’ opponents, Honduras – was spotted flying over their base.

Olivier Giroud & co. failed to bring down the airborne interloper with volleys (quiet at the back), and FIFA launched a half-hearted investigation. At the previous competition in South Africa, France were so abhorrent that Honduras could have launched a full-scale ground assault and nobody would have objected.

Page 12 of 20
Page 12 of 20
8. Champions of violence

8. Champions of violence

With six red cards, 51 fouls and two interventions by Montevideo’s riot police, Racing Club’s 1-0 defeat of Celtic in the 1967 Intercontinental Cup play-off remains the mother of all pitched battles.

In chronological order, these players were given their marching orders: Argentine Alfio Basile (after fighting with John Clark and spitting at Bobby Lennox), Lennox himself (mistaken identity), Jimmy Johnstone (for finally retaliating after several brutal challenges and one rugby tackle), John Hughes (for kicking Racing keeper Agustín Cejas, who’d earlier kicked the writhing Johnstone “as hard as I could” for getting Basile sent off), Juan Carlos Rulli (for punching Clark) and Bertie Auld (for brawling).

Page 13 of 20
Page 13 of 20
7. Burnley's crooked keeper

7. Burnley's crooked keeper

Jack Hillman was, by some distance, the most corrupt custodian to represent England. In April 1898, Stoke and Burnley played out a 0-0 draw in a play-off group to secure their top-flight status. The fix wasn’t particularly subtle: attackers shot at corner flags and passes were aimed at opponents as both sides disregarded shouts of “Goal nets were invented for a reason” from the terraces.

Suspicion quickly fell on Burnley keeper Hillman, who later offered Nottingham Forest players £2 each to “take it easy”. Forest refused, won 4-0 and grassed him up to the FA. Hillman’s “I was only joking” defence didn’t convince and he was banned for a season.

Page 14 of 20
Page 14 of 20
6. An old head on old shoulders

6. An old head on old shoulders

When your country’s sporting idol is Roger Milla, a man whose age is as vague as that of a grand old Hollywood actress, you can’t really blame fellow Cameroonians for following suit. Defender Tobie Mimboe worked his way through numerous football leagues around the globe, not to mention several passports.

He was officially 31 during the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, but then magically became almost a decade younger when he turned up in Turkey, before rocketing back up to 28 at the Cup of Nations in 1998. Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time is dedicated to him.

Page 15 of 20
Page 15 of 20
5. Tapiegate

5. Tapiegate

Bernard Tapie, Marseille’s notorious owner, had many flaws but he was no tightwad. Police investigating l’OM’s attempts to bribe Valenciennes to throw the final Ligue 1 match of 1992/93 discovered an envelope containing £30,000 in the garden of one recipient’s relatives. Tapie helped his club win five successive league titles by spending millions on the best players, and hundreds of thousands buying off opponents.

Marseille were relegated to Ligue 2 and Tapie was sent to prison. The episode rewrote the history of both English and French football: Arsene Wenger’s Monaco had finished second behind Marseille in 1991 and 1992 and, enraged by the unfairness of it all, Le Professeur swapped France for Japan, before later joining Arsenal.

Page 16 of 20
Page 16 of 20
4. Manager-to-man marking

4. Manager-to-man marking

Enrique Martin lived La Vida Loca one legendary night in the late 1990s. His Leganes team were 1-0 up in a Segunda Division clash with Badajoz, but their lead looked in danger when their opponents broke forward in search of an equaliser late in the game.

The quick-thinking manager just couldn’t help himself. As Badajoz attacker Sabino Santos sprinted down the touchline and several team-mates streamed forward in support, Martin stepped in to nick the ball off his toe. Badajoz went bananas and Martin, unsurprisingly, was hit with a 10-match ban.    

Page 17 of 20
Page 17 of 20
3. Down to the bare bones

3. Down to the bare bones

At the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon trainer Winnie Schafer had to do without assistant Thomas N’Kono because, just 90 minutes before the semi-final against hosts Mali, the legendary goalkeeper was spotted burying bones under the turf and spraying a strange potion in order to cast a spell on the playing field.

Being placed in handcuffs and spending the night in police custody was no bad thing for N’Kono – a clutch of Mali fans had declared their intention to kill him. N’Kono (banned from football for a year – although this was later lifted) denied any hocus–pocus, but Cameroon won the game 3-0.

Page 18 of 20
Page 18 of 20
2. The rubber todger of God

2. The rubber todger of God

Napoli turned a blind eye to Diego Maradona’s cocaine habit in the mid-1980s, but they knew the Argentinian needed something really devious if he was to trick the random drug testers. So they supplied their prized asset with a rubber, penis-shaped pump containing someone else’s urine, which he would use to fill the specimen jar after first hiding it inside his tracksuit.

Diego’s rubber willy saved his skin on a number occasions before he finally tested positive for cocaine in 1991, which led to a 15-month ban. “I thought I’d fooled everyone,” he lamented. Not least the wife.

Page 19 of 20
Page 19 of 20
1. Condor Cons 'em

1. Condor Cons 'em

Chile keeper Roberto Rojas was nicknamed The Condor, with the emphasis on the first syllable. In 1989, encouraged by his national team manager and doctor, Rojas attempted to get a crucial World Cup qualifier against Brazil abandoned by walking over to an unexploded firework, falling to the ground and cutting his own face with a razor blade which he’d been carrying from the start.

His furious team-mates marched off in protest – with striker Patricio Yanez provocatively thrusting his privates at the home support for good measure – but pesky video evidence scuppered the plan. Rojas received a life ban, which was eventually lifted in 2001.

Page 20 of 20
Page 20 of 20
Greg Lea
Greg Lea
Social Links Navigation

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).

Read more
Steve McManaman in action for Liverpool, January 1995
'I fell on the floor and shouted for a penalty. Someone pulled me up and said, "Don’t cheat to win penalties". It was Steve McManaman. I never did it again!' Ex-Liverpool forward reveals harsh lesson he learnt from his team-mate on Reds debut
Brazilian midfielder Ronaldinho celebrates the victory of his team, 30 June 2002 in Yokohama, Japan, after the final of the 2002 FIFA World Cup between Brazil and Germany. Brazil won the final 2-0. AFP PHOTO - Patrick HERTZOG
The ridiculous new reason players will get yellow cards in Brazil and the former Premier League star who inspired the rule
STUTTGART, GERMANY - APRIL 08: Jan Age Fjoertoft Looks on during the Bundesliga match between VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund at Mercedes-Benz Arena on April 8, 2022 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Harry Langer/vi/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
'The goalkeeper got injured and was stretchered off. I ran over to him saying, "You’re a coward, because you know I’m going to score!" – and I actually did': Ex-Premier League striker reveals on-pitch comment had made to international team-mate
LUSAIL CITY, QATAR - DECEMBER 18: Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates with the World Cup Trophy after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina (3) and France (3) (Argentina win 4-2 on penalties) at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)
Quiz! Can you name the players, teams and coaches to have unlocked these landmark achievements?
RANKED! The 25 best Champions League games of all time
RANKED! The 25 best Champions League games of all time
Career paths quiz
Quiz! Can you name these 50 players from their career paths?
Latest in
Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz is attracting interest from various Premier League clubs
Florian Wirtz's move to the Premier League edges closer as parents head to Manchester: report
Frank Lampard was caught up in the midst of some nasty post-match scenes
Frank Lampard caught up in major flashpoint as Sunderland fan attempts to mock him
Samdoria's ultras wave flags before kick off vs Cosenza
Sampdoria: Football's Flagging Giants
Eddie Howe could be relying on a favour or two from Alexander Isak this summer
Newcastle United want former team-mate of Alexander Isak: report
Ruud van Nistelrooy celebrates after scoring for Manchester United against Fulham, 2003
Quiz! Can you name every every Golden Boot winner from Europe's top five leagues during the 2000s?
 Chloe Kelly of Arsenal celebrates scoring her team's first goal during the Barclays Women's Super League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester United FC at Emirates Stadium on May 10, 2025 in London, England.
Could Arsenal loan star Chloe Kelly return to Manchester this summer?
Latest in Features
Samdoria's ultras wave flags before kick off vs Cosenza
Sampdoria: Football's Flagging Giants
Ruud van Nistelrooy celebrates after scoring for Manchester United against Fulham, 2003
Quiz! Can you name every every Golden Boot winner from Europe's top five leagues during the 2000s?
 Chloe Kelly of Arsenal celebrates scoring her team's first goal during the Barclays Women's Super League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester United FC at Emirates Stadium on May 10, 2025 in London, England.
Could Arsenal loan star Chloe Kelly return to Manchester this summer?
Players of Chelsea celebrate their victory after the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021 Final match between Chelsea and Palmeiras at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on February 12, 2022. Chelsea beat Palmeiras 2-1 in extra time to win FIFA Club World Cup.
Quiz! Can you name every club to have reached the Club World Cup final?
Thomas Muller
Quiz! How many of these football icons were one-club players?
The 2025/26 Celtic FC Home Shirt
The Celtic 2025/26 home kit is out and its brilliant tartan design could mean it's an instant classic
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Frank Lampard was caught up in the midst of some nasty post-match scenes
    1
    Frank Lampard caught up in major flashpoint as Sunderland fan attempts to mock him
  2. 2
    Quiz! Can you name every every Golden Boot winner from Europe's top five leagues during the 2000s?
  3. 3
    Newcastle United want former team-mate of Alexander Isak: report
  4. 4
    Could Arsenal loan star Chloe Kelly return to Manchester this summer?
  5. 5
    Florian Wirtz's move to the Premier League edges closer as parents head to Manchester: report

FourFourTwo is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About FourFourTwo
  • Advertise with us
  • Worldwide
  • How to pitch to FourFourTwo

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.