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When Swiss Football Association (ASF) officials were told by German investigators that they were flabbergasted.

They could scarcely believe anybody was betting on those games, let alone conspiring with criminals to throw them - but they were and now .

The worst offenders - five players from Gossau, Slavonija Bern and Thun - have been hit with indefinite suspensions that will last at least three years, effectively ending their professional careers.

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If thought he was winding down an illustrious career in law enforcement by taking cricket's top cop job, he will know otherwise after a lively first news conference as incoming chairman of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) anti-corruption and security unit.

With the kind of timing a senior officer would love in his crime-fighters, the former Northern Ireland police chief arrived at Lord's as .

It seems there may have been more to those dismal defeats - none more so than the capitulation in Sydney - than just poor play and bad morale.

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I went to Birmingham last week expecting to meet a man with the charisma of , the communication skills of , and the football know-how of the .

"Aloof", "odd" and (my favourite) "cartoonish" were just some of the adjectives fellow scribes had used when I had asked them: "What's Randy Lerner like?"

So it would be safe to say I did not have high expectations as I arrived for the Aston Villa owner's annual sit-down with the British press.

Those expectations did not change much as he shuffled in, took his seat in front of the firing squad and put on his bravest "I'm not hating this" face, fooling absolutely nobody. And then something strange happened.

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Blood or money: that was the choice on offer in the Victory Lounge last week. And once all the votes had been counted, the electorate's decision was clear. They wanted both.

Portsmouth's creditors said "yes" to the offer of an investigation into the appalling mismanagement at Fratton Park in recent years, and "it's better than nothing" to the prospect of getting back at least 20% of their money.

As gatherings of people owed money go, the Pompey creditors' meeting was slightly botched, occasionally angry and often depressing.

It was also the best possible result for the club's beleaguered supporters and Avram Grant's chances of pulling off an FA Cup upset against Chelsea on Saturday.

But having sat through five hours of bickering, buck-passing and bullying, forgive me if I don't get carried away with the "romance of the Cup" this year. Some romance.

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The more observant amongst you will have noticed there is a very important vote, of historic importance, on Thursday.

After months of speculation, weeks of debate and days of frenzied, last-minute number-crunching, the wait is finally over: Portsmouth's creditors will gather at Fratton Park to decide what happens next to the first Premier League club to enter administration.

I promise, that's it for General Election references.

That's the thing about polling day - it's almost politics-free and therefore a bad day to bury bad news. This makes me think Portsmouth's administrator (the only accountant in the country who signs autographs) isn't quite as media savvy as he imagines he is.

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