The Big Fix, Brett Forrest
The Big Fix, Brett Forrest
List: $18.99 | Sale: $13.29
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The Big Fix
The Hunt for the Match-Fixers Bringing Down Soccer

Author: Brett Forrest

Narrator: Alexander Cendese

Unabridged: 6 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 05/06/2014


Synopsis

Game of Shadows meets Among the Thugs in this revelatory true-to-life crime thriller and expose involving greed, corruption, an Asian crime syndicate, and the fixing of international soccer matches at the highest levels of the game, including the UEFA Champions League and the World Cup.In February 2013, the director of Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, made the shocking announcement that 700 international soccer matches had been fixed since 2008, including World Cup qualifying and exhibition matches, with a Chinese criminal syndicate pulling the strings. For the first time, investigative journalist Brett Forrest takes us inside the underworld of one of organized crime's most profitable businesses—a $1 trillion annual international betting market, of which soccer comprises 70 percent.Forrest uncovered a web of nefarious dealings across the world, even on U.S. soil. As he found, no match is safe—not even the World Cup tournament—and law enforcement officials lack the resources to stop it. But one man has taken this criminal enterprise on: Chris Eaton, former head of security for FIFA. Now with the International Center for Sports Security in Qatar, this rough and tumble Australian and longtime Interpol cop has tracked down some of the biggest fixers and their financial backers and continues his mission to clean up the world's most popular sport.Filled with headline making revelations, The Big Fix is must reading for soccer fans and true crime aficionados.

About Brett Forrest

Brett Forrest is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and has written for Vanity Fair, National Geographic, The Atlantic, and the New York Times Magazine. He has lived in Russia, Ukraine, and Brazil.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Rich on February 18, 2025

A fast-paced and engrossing look at the world of match and result fixing in international soccer, in which the author has managed to talk to both an investigator and expert from the law enforcement side, and one of the better known perpetrators. It's a whirlwind, worldwide look at the greasy mechanic......more

Goodreads review by Nathan on June 15, 2017

Lags a bit, with a lack of direction at times. It also completely ignores the bigger picture of what's going on, but still an interesting and enjoyable read for those interested in the seedy side of the beautiful game.......more

Goodreads review by Mrprince on July 05, 2019

I enjoyed reading this book and getting a glimpse on how bad match fixing situation is in soccer. The book feels however too focused on 2 particular individuals and the bouncing between chapters on events is unsettling.......more

Goodreads review by Radko on December 24, 2024

The tentacles of gambling are strangling our beloved game and this book gives some insight into the world of match fixing. I wasn't surprised that my homeland appeared few times in the stories.......more

Goodreads review by Matheus on July 02, 2021

Livro 13 de 2021 Apresenta uma realidade pouco conhecida para os brasileiros, principalmente por tratar de esquemas de manipulação em campeonatos inexpressivos, majoritariamente do terceiro mundo ou de praças inócuas no futebol. A linha cronológica é confusa, mas o autor é bem sucedido ao nos apresen......more