Match-Fixing Without Bets: India's Caste-Based Corruption

In India, match-fixing isn't always about money—it's about keeping lower-caste athletes off the pitch. In football, cricket, badminton and more, being a Dalit athlete means less chances to play.

Late in the second half of a decisive football fixture in February 2025, the Varsha Vishwas Tarun Mandal club waited on the pitch for an opponent that never showed up. The referees eventually blew the whistle on an empty half of the field, awarding Varsha a bye, according to the Times of India.

But in reality, the small team from the outskirts of Kolhapur, a city in southwestern India, may have realized it had lost a larger battle. A win that day against their scheduled opponents, BGM Sports, would have allowed Varsha Vishwas to remain in the senior division of the Kolhapur football league. A bye was not enough.