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Product Description
Quill & Quire
One of the more mystifying aspects of soccer is how a low-contact sport that so disdains physical toughness has attracted a fan base whose violent criminality far exceeds that of those who worship, say, the gore-smeared titans of rugby or hockey. Everyone’s familiar with the hooliganism that can attend a European match: the shouted slurs, the drunken punch-ups, the wanton vandalism. But a much more covert assault on the integrity of soccer, and one that’s ultimately more threatening to its future, is the match-fixing conducted by powerful gambling syndicates. In The Fix, Declan Hill, a journalist and documentarian who specializes in organized crime, spends four years attempting to infiltrate the cabals who bribe or bully players, referees, and managers into throwing games. He traverses four continents, and investigates everything from an under-14 girls’ team in Kenya to the kingpins in Thailand who allegedly fixed the World Cup. Along the way, he becomes acquainted with sinister men carrying monikers like “The Short Man” and “Mr. Christmas.” He learns of players being bought with Rolexes, yacht cruises, and exorbitantly priced call girls (or else murdered for their lack of co-operation). And he comes to fear that with the explosion of online betting, leagues the world over will soon be utterly discredited by corruption. All of this should be enthralling, but Hill’s writing teems with clichés, redundancies, infelicitous sentence constructions, and ramshackle metaphors. And there is, too, a lamentable dearth of telling detail. Oxford University, for instance, is “full of interesting history” and “fascinating people.” Fellow journalists from ESPN are “very, very nice guys.” A man in a courtroom is “Lebanese-looking.” It would be unfair to expect all sports writing to attain A.J. Liebling or Roger Angell levels of sublimity. But in a book whose subjects are chiefly mobsters and athletes – two notoriously inarticulate groups – there’s an onus on the author to make up the eloquence deficit with some choice words of his own. Here, that responsibility is rarely met. Die-hard fans will be unfazed by the inadequacies mentioned above, and will be satisfied by the rough tour through their favourite sport’s underbelly. But for those who are relatively indifferent to the charms of soccer, but never indifferent to the charms of a well-turned phrase, it’s best to seek one’s reading pleasure elsewhere.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“Declan has written a well-researched book of investigative journalistic brilliance. A book that deals with the unseen and often shadowy world of soccer’s match-fixing. . . . A world the authorities try to ignore; the effects of its existence swept under the carpet in the name of preserving the game’s image.”
–Shaka Hislop, ESPN soccer commentator and former English Premier League and World Cup goalkeeper
"Fascinating. . . . Part true-crime potboiler, part spy thriller, part academic discourse and part journey of personal discovery."
— Stephen Brunt, Globe and Mail
"A powerful investigative work…. The Fix is a fascinating read."
— Ottawa Citizen
"Sensationa…. Fascinating…. [Hill] makes a good case."
— Winnipeg Free Press
"An explosive book."
— Daily Mail
"Declan Hill literally takes his life into his own hands…. [He] presents convincing evidence that even games in the 2006 World Cup in Germany were fixed…. Read this book and you'll second guess every referee's dodgy call."
— Replay magazine
From the Hardcover edition.
–Shaka Hislop, ESPN soccer commentator and former English Premier League and World Cup goalkeeper
"Fascinating. . . . Part true-crime potboiler, part spy thriller, part academic discourse and part journey of personal discovery."
— Stephen Brunt, Globe and Mail
"A powerful investigative work…. The Fix is a fascinating read."
— Ottawa Citizen
"Sensationa…. Fascinating…. [Hill] makes a good case."
— Winnipeg Free Press
"An explosive book."
— Daily Mail
"Declan Hill literally takes his life into his own hands…. [He] presents convincing evidence that even games in the 2006 World Cup in Germany were fixed…. Read this book and you'll second guess every referee's dodgy call."
— Replay magazine
From the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read for Fans of Professional Soccer,
By
This review is from: The Fix: Soccer and Organized Crime (Hardcover)
Part travelogue, part journalism, all of it thoroughly absorbing. I read the book in one sitting, I could not bear to put it down unfinished. A cautionary tale of what happened in Asia and what could happen in Europe if FIFA does not wake up. If you care about soccer, you should read this book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A groundbreaking, highly influential book.,
By Marc "Marc" (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Fix: Soccer and Organized Crime (Hardcover)
Declan Hill has blown open the door on a world of corruption that reaches the highest levels of world soccer. As a direct result of his investigation, European football associations are finally waking up to the real threat match fixing poses to the their game. Whether or not their efforts will go far enough remains to be seen. Regardless, the revelations Hill makes cannot be ignored. His book has already made an impact. This is essential reading for anyone who cares about soccer or sport in general.
0 of 8 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
crap,
By
This review is from: The Fix: Soccer and Organized Crime (Hardcover)
full of speculation and no hard facts. This was a money grab and an obvious twisting of facts.
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