SUCH is the nature of sport these days, the desires to win, and the vast amounts of money that swirl around the globe, there is maybe not the same degree of shock to the Uefa Cup match-fixing headlines that appeared overnight in Spain.

SUCH is the nature of sport these days, the desires to win, and the vast amounts of money that swirl around the globe, there is maybe not the same degree of shock to the Uefa Cup match-fixing headlines that appeared overnight in Spain.

Once the thought of bungs' and backhanders' would be instantly dismissed; but high profile cases have brought football very much into focus along with sports like cricket and horse racing which, unfortunately, have been tainted with accusations of murky going's on and the smell of dirty money.

But stop for a minute. This one - and let's make it quite clear that Rangers are in no way being implicated in anything here - goes way beyond any other conspiracies to have tainted the game recently.

Back in 1992/93, ironically when Rangers came close to reaching the Uefa Cup Final, there was a match-fixing scandal involving the then Marseille president, Bernard Tapie, an extremely powerful and flamboyant individual.

His French club were stripped of the Ligue One title they won that season, and Marseille were relegated, after Tapie got at opposition players at Valenciennes and asked them to throw a match in the run-in.

There was nothing sinister ever proved about Marseille's European Cup win, when they beat AC Milan 1-0 in the Olympich Stadium, Munich.

But, as the saying goes, when mud gets thrown it sticks. Mark Hateley was sent off against Brugge in Rangers fourth group tie in that campaign as they began to put the squeeze on the French side for top spot, and subsequently missed the 1-1 draw between the sides in the Velodrome.

Hateley, at that time one of the most feared strikers in the game and at the top of his form, claims today that decision always rankled with him. That one, why he walked, will always be open to conjecture, but it was undoubtedly a big moment as Walter Smith was deprived of his most powerful weapon for what was, effectively, a decider.

There were eyebrows raised in the final group game when Rangers hosted CSKA Moscow, and Marseille went to Brugge.

The Belgian side lost a dreadful goal inside the first minutes and never recovered, rendering Rangers' match against the Russians meaningless.

Again, when the Tapie story began to unravel later, there were murmurings about what might have gone on that night.

That insatiable desire to win can sometimes stop brains working properly at even the biggest clubs.

Juventus, just back in top flight football and the Champions League this season, were disgraced after an Italian investigation revealed that officials had tried to hand-pick referees.

And a host of other Italian clubs, AC Milan included, started last term with points handicaps. Clearly, even for all their money, all the power, there are no ends some people will go to when it comes to wanting to win.

It goes against the very essence of sport, but only the deluded would claim that things have not - and might not again - go down a dark and murky road when it comes to trying to achieve an aim; when money is involved and made available, vast sums at that, heads can be turned.

But what a Spanish judge, Balatasar Garzon, is claiming he has heard in conversation from two Russian mafia hoods - again, let's just stress Rangers are not implicated in this - is quite unthinkable.

He says he heard these men discussing how Zenit St Petersburg's Uefa Cup semi-final against Bayern Munich last year was fixed, courtesy of a massive £32m payment.

Now, are we seriously to believed that Bayern, a club spearheaded by the iconic Franz Beckenbauer and one of the Uefa establishment, took a bung to throw a game?

Granted, they were thrashed 4-0 in Russia in the return leg. But from memory, they were simply taken apart by an emerging side who went on to outclass Rangers in the final in Manchester and win their own domestic title with some excellent players in their midst, many of whom shone at Euro 2008.

The claim that Munich would have gone down such a road - all their players would need to have been party to this, remember - is just fantasy land.

Uefa, as is the way of the modern world, will have to take a look at these tapes' or whatever comes from Spain.

But it is, simply, ludicrous to suggest that the German side would have gone into this. If it is somehow proven otherwise, then world football will have been blown apart and the game will be turned on its head.

Getting to officials? That's possible. Getting to one player? Again, only the naive would rule it out.

But an entire team club taking a bung, with everyone from Beckenbauer down to Oliver Khan being fingered. That just doesn't stack up.

Rangers did ever so well to reach Manchester. But they lost fair and square to a better side. Don't bet on this one going much further, even if Uefa have to go through the ritual dance...

Hateley: I was offered bung

RANGERS legend Mark Hateley has revealed how he was offered a bribe to pull out of the Champions League showdown with eventual winners Marseille in 1993.

However, the Gers striker told the proposer where to go - and then scored in a 2-2 draw with the French giants at Ibrox.

Hateley said: "Basically, the gentleman offered me money in return for me not playing against Marseille.

"To say I was stunned would be an understatement. But not for long. I gathered my senses and told the man in no uncertain terms what he could do with his offer."