Mazhar Majeed
Encyclopedia
Mazhar Majeed is a British Pakistani sporting agent and bookmaker
who came under police investigation in 2010 following reports of cricket
'match fixing
' after a News of the World
sting operation. On Saturday August 28, 2010, he was arrested by the Scotland Yard
for allegedly fixing a Test match between England and Pakistan
in Lord's. On 3 November 2011, Majeed was given a prison sentence of 32 months on convictions of "conspiracy to make corrupt payments" and "conspiracy to allow others to cheat at gambling," to run concurrently.
and studied business at Middlesex University
in north London
before forming a property development company based in London
and Surrey
,
Majeed was a major shareholder and co-owner of Croydon Athletic F.C.
. His home in Surrey
is valued at £1.8 million.
His family migrated to England from Faisalabad
, Pakistan
. Majeed is married to an India
n wife and is the father of three children.
He is due to appear in a new TV series titled Road to F.A. Cup a mockumentary about the 'Croydon Terriers' ground-sharing with Croydon Athletic.
In a number of interviews with sporting website Pakpassion
, Salman Butt
and Saeed Ajmal
were reported to have repeatedly thanked Majeed for setting up the interaction. Between 2008 and 2009, Pakpassion also had a regular section called "The Agents Views", in which Azhar would update readers on the activities of a number of players. Despite his close relationship to the players, dating back to Pakistan's previous tour of England
, the Pakistani players were warned not to associate with Majeed or his brother, as the Pakistan coaching staff did not want the players to have agents in their room.
between England
and Pakistan. In the video published by News of the World, Majeed told the undercover reporters that two Pakistani bowlers (Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir) would deliberately deliver no ball
s at specific points during the match. Majeed stated on the video that Amir would be Pakistan's bowler for the third over
, and that the first ball of the over would be a no-ball delivery. Amir did bowl the third over, and on his first delivery from the over, bowled a no-ball delivery. Commentary described the delivery as a "massive overstep", a good half-foot beyond the delivery line. Majeed also predicted that the sixth delivery of the tenth over would be a no-ball, and the ball, delivered by Asif, was also a no-ball delivery.
During the video, Majeed boasted of working with seven of Pakistan's touring squad. Of those seven, on the video he named Amir, Asif, team captain Salman Butt
and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal
as those working with him. The other three were not named on the video.
As a result of the allegations, Majeed was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers charges. The next day, Pakistan completed their loss against England by an innings and 225 runs, and Pakistan lost the four match series 3-1.
in Sydney
had also been fixed
. He stated that players had deliberately lost the game after being in a commanding position (Australia were only up 10 runs with two second innings wickets left, and Pakistan had yet to bat). Majeed has now stated that the odds against an Australian victory had gone as high as 40-1, and that the fixers had made over a million pounds from the resulting wagers.
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
who came under police investigation in 2010 following reports of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
'match fixing
Match fixing
In organised sports, match fixing, game fixing, race fixing, or sports fixing occurs as a match is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. Where the sporting competition in question is a race then the incident is referred to as...
' after a News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
sting operation. On Saturday August 28, 2010, he was arrested by the Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
for allegedly fixing a Test match between England and Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team in England in 2010
The Pakistan cricket team toured England from 29 July to 22 September 2010. The tour consisted of four Tests, two Twenty20s and five One Day Internationals .-1st Test:-2nd Test:-3rd Test:-4th Test:...
in Lord's. On 3 November 2011, Majeed was given a prison sentence of 32 months on convictions of "conspiracy to make corrupt payments" and "conspiracy to allow others to cheat at gambling," to run concurrently.
Background
Majeed attended Coulsdon High SchoolCoulsdon High School
Oasis Academy Coulsdon, formerly known as Coulsdon High School, is a school in the London Borough of Croydon, UK. It is between the area of Coulsdon and Caterham It is an academy run by the Christian charity Oasis Trust. As of 2008 a planned £20 million will be invested into the school by the Oasis...
and studied business at Middlesex University
Middlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
in north London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
before forming a property development company based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
,
Majeed was a major shareholder and co-owner of Croydon Athletic F.C.
Croydon Athletic F.C.
Croydon Athletic F.C. are an English football club based in Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon, London, England. They currently play in the Isthmian League Division One South.-History:...
. His home in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
is valued at £1.8 million.
His family migrated to England from Faisalabad
Faisalabad
Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Majeed is married to an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n wife and is the father of three children.
He is due to appear in a new TV series titled Road to F.A. Cup a mockumentary about the 'Croydon Terriers' ground-sharing with Croydon Athletic.
Affiliation with Pakistani cricketers
Majeed, along with his brother Azhar, was known to the Pakistani players as an agent who had worked to secure the Pakistani(money bank) players equipment sponsorships while the players were playing in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
In a number of interviews with sporting website Pakpassion
Pakpassion
PakPassion.Net is a website, forum and accredited cricket media founded in 2000 and dedicated principally to the sport of cricket and more specifically to the Pakistani cricket team....
, Salman Butt
Salman Butt
Salman Butt is a former Pakistani cricketer who was a regular Test and ODI left-handed opening batsman. He made his Test debut on 3 September 2003 in the third Test against Bangladesh, and a year later made his ODI debut against West Indies on 22 September 2004. He was appointed captain of the...
and Saeed Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal ; born 14 October 1977) is a Pakistani cricketer. He is a right-arm off-spin bowler who also uses the Doosra to good effect.-Early life and domestic cricket:...
were reported to have repeatedly thanked Majeed for setting up the interaction. Between 2008 and 2009, Pakpassion also had a regular section called "The Agents Views", in which Azhar would update readers on the activities of a number of players. Despite his close relationship to the players, dating back to Pakistan's previous tour of England
Pakistani cricket team in England in 2006
The Pakistani cricket team toured England in the 2006 English cricket season, following England's winter tour of Pakistan where Pakistan had won a 3-Test series 2–0 and the ODI series 4–1...
, the Pakistani players were warned not to associate with Majeed or his brother, as the Pakistan coaching staff did not want the players to have agents in their room.
Spot-fixing bribe and arrest
On August 28, 2010, The English tabloid News of the World published a story with additional video of their undercover reporters offering Majeed £150,000 ($232,665) for information on the ongoing 4th Test MatchTest cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
between England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
and Pakistan. In the video published by News of the World, Majeed told the undercover reporters that two Pakistani bowlers (Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir) would deliberately deliver no ball
No ball
In the sport of cricket a no ball is a penalty against the fielding team, usually as a result of an illegal delivery by the bowler. The delivery of a no ball results in one run to be added to the batting team's score, and an additional ball must be bowled...
s at specific points during the match. Majeed stated on the video that Amir would be Pakistan's bowler for the third over
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
, and that the first ball of the over would be a no-ball delivery. Amir did bowl the third over, and on his first delivery from the over, bowled a no-ball delivery. Commentary described the delivery as a "massive overstep", a good half-foot beyond the delivery line. Majeed also predicted that the sixth delivery of the tenth over would be a no-ball, and the ball, delivered by Asif, was also a no-ball delivery.
During the video, Majeed boasted of working with seven of Pakistan's touring squad. Of those seven, on the video he named Amir, Asif, team captain Salman Butt
Salman Butt
Salman Butt is a former Pakistani cricketer who was a regular Test and ODI left-handed opening batsman. He made his Test debut on 3 September 2003 in the third Test against Bangladesh, and a year later made his ODI debut against West Indies on 22 September 2004. He was appointed captain of the...
and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal is a Pakistani cricketer who has played Tests, ODIs and T20Is for Pakistan as a wicket-keeper.- International career :He is a quick-scoring batsman and a wicket-keeper, who has achieved 6 centuries in Test innings...
as those working with him. The other three were not named on the video.
As a result of the allegations, Majeed was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers charges. The next day, Pakistan completed their loss against England by an innings and 225 runs, and Pakistan lost the four match series 3-1.
Allegations of match fixing
On the same video posted by the News of the World, Majeed said that earlier in the year the second Test match between Pakistan and AustraliaAustralian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
in Sydney
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
had also been fixed
Match fixing
In organised sports, match fixing, game fixing, race fixing, or sports fixing occurs as a match is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. Where the sporting competition in question is a race then the incident is referred to as...
. He stated that players had deliberately lost the game after being in a commanding position (Australia were only up 10 runs with two second innings wickets left, and Pakistan had yet to bat). Majeed has now stated that the odds against an Australian victory had gone as high as 40-1, and that the fixers had made over a million pounds from the resulting wagers.