Moses Swaibu wants to tell his story in America.
The story? He was a young professional soccer player in the U.K. He made some bad decisions. He ended up being put on trial in 2015 for his involvement in a conspiracy to fix matches. And then he went to jail.
It’s the type of story to which American athletes don’t get exposed very much in the first person as the U.S. continues its journey into expanded sports betting.
The lessons of Swaibu’s story have never been more relevant, particularly as policymakers, regulators, the media and the NCAA are taking a renewed look at the intersection of college athletics and sports betting. While we still know precious few details, an investigation into suspicious line movements has reached the top level of college basketball.
“Going to prison, that made it a life mission for me,” said Swaibu of helping to educate athletes on the dangers of getting caught up in sports manipulation, which can include match-fixing and dealing in inside information. “It gave me a drive.”
Moses’ story has been told many times over the years. The Athletic did perhaps the most in-depth look at his life. What I’d love to see is that story told to the people who need to hear it, which is athletes — especially college age — in the U.S. He’ll be speaking and telling his story at the first-ever FIFA Integrity Summit next month in Singapore. There, he’ll also provide a road map of how to leverage resources and new technologies to help sports deal with the threats of manipulation and fixing in soccer and beyond.
I’ve spoken to Moses a few times over the past year, and I’m not sure there’s a person better situated to help inform and warn players of the dangers of getting caught up in sports manipulation. He’s passionate and articulate. He has his own educational tech company, called Gamechanger 360, which offers a learning platform that can help leagues, teams and athletes at all levels.
And beyond the formal platform, it comes along with his own lived experience. While we’ve had instances of match-fixing and betting scandals in America, the people involved are generally not in the public eye, and they are certainly not doing the kind of teaching and outreach Swaibu does across the pond. (The lone exception might be former NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who talks a lot in public but does little that might help anyone.)
It starts with a willingness to talk about the worst parts of his life: the events that led to him conspiring to manipulate soccer matches and the depths of living in a jail cell with one of his former teammates.
“If you ask an athlete why they got involved in match-fixing, not one person would put their hand up and say it’s because they want to do a crime,” Swaibu says. “For me and most athletes, it’s not something you plan. And I think it’s something that has happened more than we know.”
Swaibu was first introduced to the underbelly of match-fixing while he was playing for Lincoln City, a lower-level English club. He and some of his teammates met with a fixer and shown a bag filled with 60,000 Euros.
While he and his teammates turned down that offer, the fixing attempt also wasn’t reported to anyone.
But later on he would take the money, when playing for the club from Bromley. To listen to Swaibu tell the story today, he wasn’t driven by a great need for money. Money might have been the motiviating factor at first, as he was worried about providing for his unborn daughter during a time his club also wasn’t paying its players. Once he was in, it wasn’t easy to get out. He kept taking payments because he didn’t feel like he had a choice.
He wants athletes to know that by the time they put themselves into a position where they think about taking a bribe, it might already be too late. The episode in Lincoln City put him on the path to being approached and accepting a payment later on.
“If athletes are prepared for being approached, and you know the consequences, I think they will think twice,” Swaibu says. “And that only comes from real education. I know players don’t want to throw away their lives, but if they aren’t educated properly, that can end up happening.”
Proper education — and not just around match-fixing — has been sorely lacking across the top levels of American sport. While athletes almost certainly know they shouldn't gamble on their own sport, we’ve had several instances of it in the NFL. The players put their livelihood at stake, and that’s not even with the money involved with match-fixing on the table. If the education is that poor just on the basics, it’s difficult to believe match-fixing discussions are being given the proper weight.
Swaibu also wants players to know how to report an attempt to fix a match. A player probably has no idea what to do or who to go if put in that kind of situation. Beyond just saying “no,” players should feel like they can tell someone what happened, and tell the right someone.
“You shouldn’t have to be afraid to speak out if you’re in a bad situation,” Swaibu says. “Peer pressure, fear of the unknown are scary. But the alternative is worse.”
Swaibu plans to relocate to the U.S. and open offices and services in America later this year.
I think American athletes need to hear what Moses has to say. And I hope he gets the chance to tell them.
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I watched an interview he gave for a responsible gambling story I reported on a year or two ago. Moses' story was a great look into the reality behind protecting young athletes from illegal gambling schemes and implementing policies that do more than check a box.