Lothar Matthäus was at the most exciting place in world football - and didn't know it© Vassil Donev/DPA

For years, Lothar Matthäus had been displeased about not getting appointed to the important jobs in the world of soccer. Neither the German, nor the Spanish, nor the English Major League wanted him. Nor did it occur to other great soccer nations to entrust the two-time World Player of the Year with their national teams. Matthäus coached in Israel und Eastern Europe. He found that inappropriate and rather exasperating.

On February 9th 2011, when Germany played Italy in Dortmund in front of an audience of 60,000, Lothar Matthäus spent the evening at the seaside resort in Antalya, Turkey.

Bulgaria’s national team, which he coaches, hosted Estonia’s team in front of an audience of 150 in the “Mardan Sports Complex”. Once again, Lothar Matthäus was far away from the center of the action with its big names and packed arenas and yet, at this very moment, he found himself at the most exciting place in the world of soccer. Only, he did not know it.

In Antalya, match-fixers pulled off a huge job

According to information uncovered by stern magazine, the following picture emerges: The betting ring mafia had chosen the small stadium for a deal, mobsters in Germany can only dream of. This time, they were not betting on Belgian second division matches, championship games in the Balkan states or contests in the German regional league.

In Antalya, match-fixers pulled off a huge job. Apparently, they had organized the two international games, which pitted Bulgaria against Estonia and Latvia against Bolivia. Nations competed against each other in matches that saw no commercials, television broadcast and hardly any spectators. They were international matches set up by the Mafia.

The leading role on the field was played by the referees. The first match, Bolivia versus Latvia, ended 1:2. All three goals were made on penalty kicks. Three hours later, Matthäus’ Bulgarian team had tied Estonia 2:2. In this match, too, every goal was made on a penalty kick.