The Big Fix

Game of Shadows meets Among the Thugs in this revelatory true-to-life crime thriller and expose involving greed, soccer 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. In a feat of investigative journalism, Brett Forrest takes us inside the underworld of one of organized crime's most profitable businesses for the first time—a $1 trillion annual international sports 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 from betting fraud—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.

This gripping work of investigative journalism reveals the shocking truth behind the headlines:
An International Crime Syndicate: Follow the trail of a notorious Singapore-based organized crime group as they infiltrate the highest levels of professional soccer.Widespread Match-Fixing: Uncover how over 700 international matches, including World Cup qualifiers, were corrupted for profit.A Crusader from FIFA: Meet Chris Eaton, the rough-and-tumble former head of security for FIFA and Interpol cop on a mission to clean up the world’s most popular sport.The Underworld of Sports Betting: Go inside the trillion-dollar shadow economy of betting fraud that has made soccer the most corrupt game in the world.