One in three UK footballers claim match fixing is rife: Survey

A shock survey has revealed that one in three professional footballers have said that match fixing is rife in the sport, while 14 percent of them have admitted that they still gamble on the game and 70 percent of them have voted Gary Neville as the most respected TV pundit.

A footballer revealed that he knows players who routinely bet on their own side. However, 32 percent of footballers have agreed that rigging, especially spot-fixing, still goes on.

A Scottish football star said that it's too easy now to bet on the number of throw-ins or corners, while a Championship player added that his friend got done for it at non-league level, claiming that no doubt it is going on, the Mirror reported.

Players are reportedly banned by the FA from betting, directly or indirectly, on any football match, anywhere in the world.

Football magazine 'Four Four Two' talked to 123 anonymous professional players from Britain's five major leagues. Players agreed footballers having underage sex or a rape conviction were the least acceptable crimes.

Others, including a Premier League star, said that rape convict striker Ched Evans would be welcome at most clubs now because he served his time, but yet another League One player claimed that they have young women throwing themselves at them and they are not going to ask for a birth certificate.

More than 10 percent of soccer stars said they know a gay player, despite the fact there are no openly gay pros, with one stating that if a player came out, everyone would be supportive, but some would rip it out of him.

Meanwhile, spitting and racist taunts were considered the worst offences a player can commit on the pitch, but a League One player said that he has had racism, and has laughed back and said 'whatever, d***head', claiming that it would usually be from a foreign player.

The player claimed that he can laugh off racism, but insisted that when a player spat at him, he wanted to kill him.

Another player said that a guy spat at him and he ended up chasing the 'p****' around the pitch for five minutes.

But the worst thing, according to one Premier League star, was being booed by ones own fans, adding that it's as bad as a cruciate injury.