Sport is made for betting

Back page of the Racing Post today reports that a UEFA investigator has claimed Nigerian players were 'vulnerable to manipulation' - i.e. potential targets for match-fixing at the World Cup. One would think that was pretty bloody obvious. Based on the political reaction after the World Cup - banning the Nigerian team from major tournament for two years (soon rescinded), it's pretty obvious that the whole system there is a shambles, and thus a team such as that COULD be open to such a thing, especially when their final match had no upside for them - they couldn't make the next round. But the gambling world is extremely tight and well monitored these days. When something is up, it gets magnified exponentially, and there are certain teams & players where the first sign of trouble will cause bookies to switch the match off or slash limits right back. Nigeria is one of those teams. FIFA and bookmakers have dismissed the allegations as having no substance.

It's not hard to see the Racing Post has changed in recent years - sales are down as much as 40% in four years, Betfair scrapped their £1m+ annual advertising deal with them after they refused to cut the price despite flagging sales figures, and it's virtually a bookies' mouthpiece with very little criticism in there. The punter wants independence of thought, not just well-scripted material from bookie headquarters. Writer Paul Haigh blasts Racing Post in resignation letter Fair play to him for having principles. What's the point of being a journalist if you can't have integrity. But from the Racing Post side of it, what else are they to do? 90% plus of their ad revenues will come from bookmakers and exchanges, and understandably, they won't want to be advertising in a rag which is critical of them. But a line has to be drawn somewhere. There are certain journos out there whom you know have just added their name to the top of a press release (eg Rod Nicholson in...