7 Of The Biggest Scandals Which Absolutely Rocked The World Of Sports

As much as we love different sports and the players associated with them - there have always been blemishes when events like match fixing, doping. cheating, assault, and other disgraceful acts, that have brought great shame to sports.

In an industry where maintaining a squeaky clean image is tied directly to your earning potential, any one of the above can ruin an athlete¡¯s career.

There have been some massive scandals overs the course of time where some of the greatest of legends from different areas of have been involved in dishonorable acts that have rocked the world.

Let us look at the top 10 scandals biggest scandals in sports history.

Lance Armstrong

AFP

One of the most admired and revered cyclists at once, Lance Armstrong had a monumental fall from grace. Doping has always been in close proximity with cyclists, but Armstrong was its biggest casualty.

After years of allegations and even an inquiry by U.S. federal prosecutors, the seven-time Tour de France winner was suspended from competition in 2012 after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency accused him of doping and trafficking drugs based on blood tests and testimony from witnesses that included former teammates.

He denied any wrongdoing a filed a lawsuit, but it had no impact as court rule in favour of USADA. Armstrong was banned from the sport, and all of his results after August 1, 1998.

All titles were stripped, and he went from a hero to villain.

Tiger Woods

AP

Tiger Woods is often regarded as one of the best golfers in history. He ranks second all-time in both men's major championships and PGA Tour wins and also holds numerous golf records.

In a career that was blooming and at its peak, it all went down in dumps in 2009. After a bizarre incident of being involved in a car crash after his wife ran after him, the career took a turn for worse.

At first, people thought that Woods had merely crashed his car, perhaps drunk, and that his wife smashed open the window with the golf club to get him out.

This actually was the case for quite a while until details started leaking out. She had chased Woods after reading his text messages and finding intimate ones between him and a lover.

After the details emerged of him having had an affair with 12 mistresses during the time he was married, it all went downhill, and Woods announced he would take an indefinite leave from golf.

He has since returned and won a major, but the damage that was done can never really be scratched off.

Diego Maradona's hand of god

Reuters

One of the most talked about moments in the history of football is the 'hand of god' goal that took place in a World Cup quarterfinal game between Argentina and England.

In that game that Argentina won in 1986, one of the goals which was scored by the Argentine legend Diego Maradona, came off his hand and went into the net.

The game ended with a 2¨C1 win for the Argentina, thanks to the "Goal of the Century", scored by Maradona.

After the match, Diego Maradona stated that the goal was scored "a little with his head and a little with the hand of God", and from then on the world press baptized the goal.

FIFA Corruption Scandal

AFP

The world¡¯s biggest governing soccer body, FIFA, had long been rumored to be rife with corruption. And in May 2015, 14 officials and associates of the organization were indicted in connection to an investigation (headed up by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation Division) into bribery, fraud and money laundering.

The investigation focused on the corruption between different football organisations across continents, which allegedly included an estimated $150 million in bribes.

2000 Paralympic Spanish basketball team

AP

In 2000 Paralympics, Spain basketball proved to be the epitome of disgrace as they won the gold medal, however, it was later discovered that 10 of the 12 players had no disabilities whatsoever, and had deliberately failed IQ tests before the Games.

Hansie Cronje

AFP

One of South Africa's most successful captains, Hansie Cronje was a great leader, but it all crashed for him at the turn of the century.

On 7 April 2000, it was revealed there was a conversation between Cronje and Sanjay Chawla, a representative of an Indian betting syndicate, over match-fixing allegations. Three other players, Herschelle Gibbs, Nicky Boje, and Pieter Strydom, were also implicated.

It was one of the biggest scandals in cricket history, and it ended a career one of the most admired careers.

Oscar Pistorius

AFP

After he shot to fame in 2012 after earning a spot at the Summer Olympics as a sprinter. The man known as the Blade Runner for his special prosthetics, however, went from famous to infamous a year later after murdering his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius acknowledged that he shot Steenkamp four times, causing her death, but said that he mistook her for a possible intruder.

In September 201, Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide and one firearm-related charge of reckless endangerment related to discharging a firearm in a restaurant.