Sports and Crime Briefing

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How “322” Became Shorthand for Esports Corruption
As match-fixing in esports has become ever more common, a meme has become a powerful reminder that fans are keeping watch.
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Chris Dalby
Arturo Vidal’s Dangerous Gamble: Betting on Himself
If you're a world-famous footballing superstar, it's a bad idea to own your own gambling site. It's an even worse idea to have that site offer bets on…
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Chris Dalby
Can Anonymous Whistleblowers in Sport Really Expose Match-Fixing?
Two recent match-fixing cases in Mexico were blown wide open by anonymous tips. But the sporting world is not always set up to follow up on this…
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Chris Dalby
What Happens When Banned Athletes Return as World-Beaters?
What message does it send when an athlete is banned for match-fixing and returns shortly after to win major championships?
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Chris Dalby
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The Inside Story of Zhu Hongxing, China's Leading Football Match-Fixer
China recently jailed Zhu Hongxing, one of its leading match-fixers, who bought dozens of officials, players, and coaches for years. Here's the full…
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Chris Dalby
The Cheat Sheet - May 5, 2025 - A Roundup of Sports, Gambling and Crime News
21 goals scored in 20 minutes in Dutch futsal, a recently banned snooker player may be about to become World Champion, and a disgraced Japanese table…
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Chris Dalby
Uphill Battle: The Rise and Decline of Colombian Cycling
After conquering cycling's heights, Colombia is losing ground. Late last year, OffMap Media went to cycling cradle Urrao to find out why.
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Douwe den Held

April 2025

21 Goals in 20 Minutes - Dutch Crack Down After Ludicrous Futsal Scoreline
Blow-outs do happen in futsal, but usually not this spectacularly, nor this conveniently.
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Chris Dalby
How the IPL's Rajasthan Royals Just Dodged a Match-Fixing Bullet
Given the Indian Premier League's history of match-fixing and corruption, any accusation can be damaging, even if there's little evidence.
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Chris Dalby
The Cheat Sheet - April 28, 2025 - A Roundup of Sports, Gambling and Crime News
Samuel Eto'o is in legal hot water again, South Korea will pay good money to illegal gambling whistleblowers, UK gamblers are turning to the dark side…
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Chris Dalby
Why Did 19 Venezuelan Baseball Players Claim Asylum in Spain?
Venezuela's once-thriving baseball ecosystem has been taken over by gangs extorting academies and players, and killing those who resist.
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Chris Dalby
The Cheat Sheet - April 17, 2025 - A Roundup of Sports, Gambling and Crime News
Venezuelan baseball players abandoned in Spain, Mexican women's football under threat, Koreans going after illegal sailboat races, and football…
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Chris Dalby
Inside Serie A’s Illegal Betting Pyramid Scheme
The full story of how football players at Milan, Juventus, and others acted as recruiters and promoters for illegal betting sites, ensnaring at least a…
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Alberto Lattuada
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Chris Dalby
Match-Fixing Without Bets: India's Caste-Based Corruption
In India, match-fixing isn't always about money—it's about keeping lower-caste athletes off the pitch. In football, cricket, badminton and more, being a…
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Chris Dalby
The 2025 Match-Fixing Landscape: What You Need to Know
Match-fixers are quickly adapting to new gaps in sports governance, tell integrity reports from Sportradar, Starlizard and the IBIA.
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Chris Dalby
Real Apodaca - The Tip of Mexico's New Match-Fixing Iceberg
Mexico is becoming one of the fastest-growing countries for football match-fixing, after years of relative calm. The recent Real Apodaca case reveals…
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Chris Dalby
The Cheat Sheet - April 2, 2025 - A Roundup of Sports, Gambling and Crime News
Cleaning up football in Afghanistan, a cocaine warning in Australia, colossal fines in Las Vegas, controversy in New Zealand yachting, and corrupt MMA…
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Chris Dalby

March 2025

How China’s Sweeping Match-Fixing Crackdown Became a Blueprint—and a Warning—for World Football
China's match-fixing investigation has been praised for its scale. But sweeping crackdowns without systemic reform can never deliver lasting change.
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Chris Dalby
Why We Should Be Very Worried About Age Fraud in Football
If Manchester City and Manchester United's academies can sign multiple footballers who lied about their age, no club at the elite level is safe.
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Chris Dalby
The Cheat Sheet - March 20, 2025 - A Roundup of Sports, Gambling and Crime News
A new IOC chief, an age fraud scandal in Manchester, and the scale of gambling's takeover of football fully revealed - what a week. The Cheat Sheet…
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Chris Dalby
Coe, Coventry, Samaranch - Will the Next IOC President Care About Sports and Crime?
The Sports and Crime Briefing breaks down the history, controversies, policies and promises of the three leading candidates vying to be elected as IOC…
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Chris Dalby
Porto, PSG, Qatar - Inside Antero Henrique's Millionaire Transfer Deals
Former FC Porto executive Antero Henrique and his associates have built a lucrative empire through football transfers. But just how far does their…
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Paulo Curado
Why Norway's Ski Jump Cheating Isn't a One-Off Scandal
Two Norwegian coaches admitted to modifying the jumpsuits of their athletes, but controversy around these suits has dogged ski jumping for years.
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Chris Dalby
Olympian to Kingpin - How Ryan James Wedding Became the FBI's Most Wanted Man
​From Olympic snowboarder to the FBI's Most Wanted, from one-time cannabis dealer to Canada's greatest kingpin, delve into the astonishing…
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Chris Dalby
© 2025 Chris Dalby
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