Sport has many good qualities.

It brings people together, pushes some towards greater goals and sets the bar higher each time there’s a new record. It enhances competition, and therefore the desire to do better, and unites people under one flag. It is imperative for health reasons, and many people are advised to practise some form of physical activity in order to lead a better life. The few who reach the top level battle it out to the pleasure of the millions who follow them, and these millions play an important role in the success of the few. Without millions watching, supporting, discussing and arguing, the few would not exist.

But sport also has its dark side, the more so now that it has become more and more professional. So much is at stake today – victories mean more money. There was a time when even the few who entertained the millions were amateurs; for example, no athlete could participate in the Olympic Games if he or she was earning money from sport. Nowadays, the Games – which for many are the culmination of a career – are open to athletes who make their living from running, swimming or playing one of the disciplines forming part of the Olympics. It is the same in non-Olympic sport as well.

Over-ambitious athletes and clubs have resorted to various forms of cheating in order to reach their targets. One way is through taking illicit substances to enhance their performances. Those who get caught are first suspended and subsequently, if they repeat the offence, banned. But new ways of hiding the taking of illegal drugs continue to be developed, and it is a hard task for the good side of sport to keep up with what is going on. Thankfully, the battle against doping is harsh severe and we often hear of athletes in various disciplines who have been caught trying to cheat in this way. But who knows how many others are getting away with it.

Another form of cheating is so-called “match fixing”, and this is often connected with the betting world. We have heard many accounts of what are known as “betting scandals”, with huge amounts of money being won from particular matches chosen by a group of people who want to make some easy cash. In most cases, players are involved, because without their participation it would be almost impossible to “fix” a particular result. Even here, there have been many instances when the illegality is discovered but, again, there must have been other occasions when the situation went by unnoticed.

There have also been occasions when referees or officials are bribed to sway matches in one direction or the other. The nature of some disciplines – more than others – makes it possible for referees to steer victory towards a particular team without doing so in an obvious way. On many occasions there will be strong suspicions but they are hard to prove, and so potential illegality goes unpunished. Of course, there are also times when mistakes are genuine human errors, but sports fans do not like it when these “mistakes” occur regularly.

Some have also resorted to bribing their opponents, maybe one or two of their more important players. As in other areas of life, money talks, and those with more money always have an edge over those of lesser means.

Sports authorities have to keep their eyes and ears open all the time to be able to combat such happenings. Many of them do a good job, although it must be said that the revelation of each scandal – in whatever form it takes – is yet another huge dent to real sportsmanship. Growing suspicions, even when there is no proof, are also not helpful to any sport.

There are other situations that do not exactly amount to cheating, but that raise many doubts as to the genuineness of the sport being played. For example, there are times when two similar situations are treated differently by the powers-that-be, and this gives rise to fears that something untoward is happening – although it is difficult to put a finger on it. For example, a player with one club is suspended while a player from another club, who commits the same offence, is merely fined. Or a team is suspended or has points deducted if its supporters behave badly while another team gets away Scot-free when its supporters are guilty of the same misdemeanour.

These are circumstances that anger mostly the so-called small clubs, those that have little power in the institutions. The small clubs are always at the wrong end of the stick, because it is they that suffer the most in such situations. They are the ones who get a referee who is biased against them, or are severely punished after they fall for the bait of provocation.

One is tempted to suggest that small clubs should form a breakaway league when such situations occur regularly, but then this would not be the correct solution. Still, more often than not their complaints are justified and it is up to the respective association to see that there is fairness in the sport in question. Otherwise, there is a risk that these clubs and their supporters become disenchanted, especially when their potential to grow is stifled not because of their inability to progress but because of issues beyond their control.

Sport is a great pastime, whether one is taking part or simply following. It will be a sad day if cheating – in whatever form it takes – is allowed to get the upper hand.