Before the semi-finals for the first German Championship 1903, odds-on favourite Karlsruher FV received a fake telegram about the postponing of the game against DFC Prague in Leipzig, allegedly sent by the DFB [Deutscher Fußballbund (German Football Association)]. Karlsruhe didn't travel to the game, got disqualified, and Prague got an easy bye for the final game. [...]
Karlsruhe wasn't suspicious, as the preparations for the game had been chaotic: The game was first set to 26th April in Prague, then to 10th May in Munich and again to 17th May in Munich. DFB finally changed it to 24th May in Leipzig. Karlsruhe received the ominous telegram on Saturday, 23th May at 11:30 a.m. [...]
Only on the following tuesday KFV learned from the newspaper about the deception, along with the information that there wouldn't be a re-match. Referee Darkow had declared DFC Prague the winner, and instead refereed an exhibition match against Leipziger BC (1:1), "a game into which neither team put much effort".
The shenanigans didn't end here:
In the final game, DFC Prague fielded seven Austrian-Hungarian national players who hadn't been accredited for the championship, and sent in a phony line-up to blind-side the opponent team VfB Leipzig. The deception was useless in the end: DFC Prague lost 2:7.
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