“Across much of the investigative writing around gambling, betting, and football, the most obvious narrative is usually told in four ways: Footballers, referees, and the institutions responsible for developing the sport are corrupted; betting destroys youth; gambling companies exploit poor people; society has lost its morals. None of these are wrong, but over time they seem to produce more outrage than understanding about how football leaves itself open to betting. Betting does not actually create football’s culture of risk from scratch. It finds and enters a game already built and already training millions to become fanatical about living inside long odds, uncertain progression, selective visibility, and emotionally charged hope. …”
Africa Is a Country
The game behind the game
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“In October 2025, the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) flagged five suspicious bets placed on Burundian league matches between June and September of the previous year. These were the first such alerts the organization had recorded in the country since 2020. FIFA had already been in contact with the Burundi Football Federation (FFB) earlier that year over suspected manipulation in the top flight. Alexandre Muyenge, the President of the FFB, and also a police brigadier general, moved quickly, notifying national authorities and stepping up surveillance efforts. All coaches, players, officials and independent observers contacted during this investigation maintain that match-fixing has become routine in Burundi’s top division. One club, in particular, Deira Academy, stands out to investigators above all others. …”
Scissors Kick 