Sporting scandals that shook the world: Lance Armstrong, Hansie Cronje, 'Crashgate'

Gianluigi Buffon, Joe Jackson and Lance Armstrong all found their careers derailed, to different degrees, by sporting scandal

Manchester City being found guilty of fuelling an era of glittering Premier League success via a network of sponsorship deals, found by an independent commission to be a "sham", has shaken the world of sport.

The lure of glory and riches on the biggest stages have tempted plenty of others to cheat.

Lance Armstong was stripped of the seven back-to-back Tour de France titles he won

His story was remarkable. Aged 25, Armstrong had been diagnosed with testicular cancer, with doctors warning he was likely to die given the disease had spread to other parts of his body.

However, as the evidence and former team-mates allegations against him stacked up, Armstrong was stripped of his Tour de France titles.

"I made those decisions, they were my mistake and I'm here to say sorry," he said, adding that the culture in professional cycling made using drugs non-negotiable.

President Nelson Mandela singled out Cronje in 1996 for the "excellent manner" in which he captained the Proteas.

Cronje entertained the offers of match-fixers, calling team meetings to discuss the possibility of throwing matches and sharing thousands of dollars in inducements.

With South Africa still in the midst of their first innings on the final day, Cronje convinced England counterpart Nasser Hussain that in the interest of sporting entertainment each side should forfeit an innings, producing a sudden run-chase and giving England a shot at victory.

Cronje was undone when an Indian police wiretap of a bookmaker caught him in discussions about fixing matches.

Hansie Cronje, match-fixing and plane crash that left a complex legacyPublished30 July 2025