Moses Swaibu has recently been on BBC Sounds, sharing his life-changing story on how he was embroiled in a match-fixing scandal that corrupted the lower leagues of English football.
What's it like to come face-to-face with a match-fixing crime boss?
Ex-footballer Moses Swaibu reveals all to Troy Deeney.
Listen to the whole series of 'Confessions of a Match Fixer' first on BBC Sounds. #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/USj7QToKFq
— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) August 15, 2024
Formerly a promising football player, Moses Swaibu was involved in a match-fixing case that caused a stir in the lower leagues of England. His narrative serves as a sobering reminder of how quickly a career may descend into notoriety, damaging not only one's reputation but also the integrity of the sport.
Swaibu began his career with great potential, working his way through the youth system of Crystal Palace, winning the Young Player of the Year and Scholar of the Year awards, before moving into non-league football. While his early career showed promise, his involvement in football’s darker side began when he signed for Lincoln City in 2009. Although Lincoln played in the lower tiers of English football, the exposure this position granted him to corrupt influences ultimately led to his downfall.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) opened an investigation into a global match-fixing organisation in 2014. This operation discovered that Swaibu and Delroy Facey, another football player, were key cogs. A group based in Singapore is said to have operated the syndicate, offering bribes to vulnerable players, to fix football matches. Swaibu's role was to approach players - often in financial distress and offer them money.
Swaibu was first approached to fix a match in January 2011. He was sat at the back of the Lincoln team coach and had been carrying a duffel bag filled with euros worth £60,000. Three teammates and Swaibu had received an offer if they could guarantee that Lincoln were losing 1-0 at halftime to Northampton.
The quartet even had the money with them inside the dressing room - unknown to the other players. In the end, the players had a change of heart and did not fix the game, with a couple of the players on the bench anyway. They said nothing of it and returned the money.
Within the next year, he had dropped down to the National League South and his girlfriend was pregnant - putting more financial strain on his shoulders.
He was given an offer by a teammate to meet a 'fixer', with the simple instruction to be 2-0 down to Eastbourne at halftime. He and four teammates were offered 100,000 to split and could play the second half as normal.
Swaibu was surprised at the simplicity of it and was hooked. Not only was he fixing games he was involved in, he was in charge of identifying other players who would be interested in the scheme.
The 35-year-old was making a lot of money, and it was all going so well, until a game at Maidenhead where they had to lose by two clear goals. Swaibu was blatantly at fault for three goals, with his side losing 4-2. An incensed teammate had suspicions about what was going on, but it was obvious to many.
The once-promising football departed the club a few weeks later, and after a couple of unsuccessful spells lower down the pyramid, he was caught and faced 16 months in prison for conspiracy to commit bribery.
Moses Swaibu has changed his life after completing his term and is currently making an effort to stop others from committing the same mistakes. He publicly apologised for his role in the scam after being found guilty, and he has since devoted his time to educating people about the risks associated with football match-fixing, with a special emphasis on lower-league players who may be in financial trouble.
To provide anti-corruption workshops and seminars, Swaibu currently works as a speaker and educator, partnering with groups such as the Football Association (FA) and the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA). Through these programs, he uses his own experience to educate current athletes about the negative effects of unlawful conduct on their careers and the integrity of the game.
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