Sleeping with the enemy: Sports stars who have betrayed trust

English cricketer Kevin Pietersen remains on the international outer having betrayed his captain Andrew Strauss. Photo / Getty Images.

English cricketer Kevin Pietersen remains on the international outer having betrayed his captain Andrew Strauss - England's current director of cricket - in a series against South Africa three years ago. He headlines our Sleeping With the Enemy sports list.

Pietersen: My fury at England deceit

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Kevin Pietersen has big tickets on himself, but had trouble seeing the best in his comrades. He sent derogatory texts to opponents Dayle Steyn and AB de Villiers about his captain Strauss and coaching director Andy Flower. A weird side issue is that the England luminaries involved -Pietersen, Strauss and Flower - are all South African born. Pietersen strongly denied loose claims that he also sent suggestions on how to dismiss Strauss. The controversy has flared again, with Strauss saying trust issues remain which prevent Pietersen's rehabilitation into the national team. Pietersen now feels deceived.

Life in the fast lane

Two employees of the famous F1 team Ferrari, including the chief designer, passed detailed plans to the McLaren team, which was subsequently penalised and given a massive fine. The dastardly plan unravelled in part because the store clerk who was asked to scan the originals was a Ferrari devotee who smelled a rat and turned detective.

No quick fix

Match fixing, one fears, is here to stay. And every case involves a betrayal - of team mates, fans, sponsors etc etc. The case list is endless. For sad circumstances, the case of Bulldogs forward Ryan Tandy takes some beating. In 2010, he deliberately gave away a penalty in an effort to win money on a Cowboys penalty being the first scoring play. This was accompanied by an odd betting plunge, an unsuccessful one as the Cowboys took a quick tap. Ultimately, the disgraced dumbo-jumbo betrayed himself. He died of a drug overdose last year.

Home plate truths

Jim Bouton's Ball Four is still regarded by many as the finest insider's look at a sport. The American major league pitcher revealed all in a diary of the 1969 season using folksy language at odds with a lot of the startling information. Among the claims: on odd occasions batters on the verge of statistical milestones were given inside tips about pitches by friendly opposing catchers.

Owning up to own goal

In the early 1990s, Luton Town football legend Mick Harford had been transferred to Derby County. The two clubs met in the final match of the season with Luton needing victory to avoid relegation. Harford scored an own goal, a long range header past the legendary English goalkeeper Peter Shilton, as Luton won 2 - 0. Decades later, he admitted it was a deliberate own goal to help save his old club, and replays appear to back the claim.