Steve Menary
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stevemenary.bsky.social
Steve Menary
@stevemenary.bsky.social
730 followers 97 following 44 posts
Journalist - sports integrity, match fixing, illegal betting, multi club ownership, football in unrecognised countries. Joint winner of 2023 IJ4EU Impact Award for investigative journalism
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stevemenary.bsky.social
Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · Dec 22
Before offering a game, bookies want a broadcast or livestream and access to live data. FIFA’s streaming service FIFA+ and its data company friends are doing this - without the clubs even knowing! With @samindrakunti.bsky.social for @playthegame-org.bsky.social www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-li...
FIFA+ livestreams fuel global in-play betting markets
New research from Play the Game shows how unlicensed betting companies are using FIFA’s own streaming platform to offer in-play wagers on low-level matches worldwide. Many smaller federations are unaw...
www.playthegame.org
stevemenary.bsky.social
Next Arctic Winter Games at Whitehorse in March should be interesting as Greenland and Alaska both sending teams www.awg2026.org
Arctic Winter Games 2026
Join us for the Arctic Winter Games 2026, a culturally significant, community-driven sporting event that unites thousands of athletes from across the circumpolar North.
www.awg2026.org
January 20, 2026 at 8:53 PM
stevemenary.bsky.social
More than 200 non league players and staff charged by the FA for betting offences since 2015 - 3/4 of all charges. Why is the FA going after easy targets? On Substack for @sportingintel.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/sporting...
REVEALED: FA targets low-hanging fruit for illegal betting as game drowns in gambling ads
An investigation for Sporting Intelligence details the disproportionate number of betting charges against non-league players as the pro game embraces gambling
open.substack.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:42 AM
Reposted by Steve Menary
philippeauclair.bsky.social
New for @josimarfootball.bsky.social. And depressing. Correspondence between the Premier League and the British government suggests that elite English football clubs will be allowed to pursue commercial relationships with illegal betting operators in the future.

josimarfootball.com/2026/01/13/s...
Same old, same old - josimarfootball.com
Correspondence between the Premier League and the British government suggests that, contrary to expectations, elite English football clubs will be allowed to pursue commercial relationships with illeg...
josimarfootball.com
January 13, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Steve Menary
samindrakunti.bsky.social
From Aruba and Mauritania to the Seychelles, FIFA is commercialising as many lower-level games as possible via FIFA+.

Stats Perform will be collecting the data for betting operators.

Here is more background. With @stevemenary.bsky.social.

www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-li...
FIFA+ livestreams fuel global in-play betting markets
New research from Play the Game shows how unlicensed betting companies are using FIFA’s own streaming platform to offer in-play wagers on low-level matches worldwide. Many smaller federations are unaw...
www.playthegame.org
January 12, 2026 at 10:23 PM
stevemenary.bsky.social
There are now at least 444 clubs around in some form of multi club ownership www.linkedin.com/posts/steve-...
Multi club ownership (MCO) now extends to all six of FIFA’s regional confederations. There are at least 444 clubs around the world whose owners or significant shareholders have cross-ownership stakes…...
Multi club ownership (MCO) now extends to all six of FIFA’s regional confederations. There are at least 444 clubs around the world whose owners or significant shareholders have cross-ownership stakes ...
www.linkedin.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:58 PM
stevemenary.bsky.social
Before offering a game, bookies want a broadcast or livestream and access to live data. FIFA’s streaming service FIFA+ and its data company friends are doing this - without the clubs even knowing! With @samindrakunti.bsky.social for @playthegame-org.bsky.social www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-li...
FIFA+ livestreams fuel global in-play betting markets
New research from Play the Game shows how unlicensed betting companies are using FIFA’s own streaming platform to offer in-play wagers on low-level matches worldwide. Many smaller federations are unaw...
www.playthegame.org
December 22, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by Steve Menary
philippeauclair.bsky.social
From the crazy world of illegal gambling, one of the craziest stories we at @josimarfootball.bsky.social have come across in our investigations (and that is saying something). Who is "William Anderson", "founder" of Milan's new Asian betting partner sureWin? josimarfootball.com/2025/12/15/t...
The Magnificent Anderson - josimarfootball.com
Illegal betting operators routinely use actors to impersonate their owners and executives, but none of them has ever gone as far in this respect as AC Milan's brand new "official betting partner in As...
josimarfootball.com
December 15, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Reposted by Steve Menary
samindrakunti.bsky.social
I spent a couple of weeks watching FIFA+.

Here's the story with @stevemenary.bsky.social. For @playthegame-org.bsky.social.

www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-li...
FIFA+ livestreams fuel global in-play betting markets
New research from Play the Game shows how unlicensed betting companies are using FIFA’s own streaming platform to offer in-play wagers on low-level matches worldwide. Many smaller federations are unaw...
www.playthegame.org
December 13, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Reposted by Steve Menary
playthegame-org.bsky.social
Unlicensed betting companies are using FIFA’s own streaming platform to offer in-play wagers on low-level matches worldwide. Many smaller federations are unaware their match data is exploited this way, write @stevemenary.bsky.social & @samindrakunti.bsky.social 👇

www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-li...
December 12, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Reposted by Steve Menary
cricketacademic.bsky.social
Full programme for our 2026 conference now available!

Hughes Hall, Cambridge, 26 Feb
9am to 5pm

Register here: www.cricketsociety.org.uk/events/crick...
9.00am - REGISTRATION 9.30am to 10.30am - Panel 1: Gender Akanksha Kohli, Dominic Malcolm (Loughborough University) & Philippa Velija (University of Roehampton) - “I think I could see the turning point…people just came for good cricket”: Female Cricketers' Experiences of Professionalization Georgia Norman (Durham University) - How Has The Hundred Impacted the Lived Experience of Women Cricketers in England? Max He (Xi’an Jiaotong University) - State-feminism, Olympic status and gender relations in Chinese cricket 10:30am to 11.30am - Panel 2: History Anand Rampersad (University of the West Indies) - Issues and Challenges to the Development of West Indies Women’s Cricket Fiona Reid (Bayfirth Research CIC), Susan Warren (SKS Scotland CIC) and Raf Nicholson (Bournemouth University) - The Unexpected Role of Fenners in Scotland Women's Cricket Rod Edmond (University of Kent) - Cricket and its Stories 11.30am to 11.45am - BREAK 11.45am to 12.45pm - Q&A: “Catching the Spirit?” The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 Confirmed panellists: Laura Entwistle (Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Strategy Implementation Lead) Donna Fraser (PCA Director of People, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) 12.45pm - LUNCH 1.45pm to 2.45pm - Panel 3: Inclusion Ross Ensor (Leeds Beckett University) - Volunteering among ethnically diverse communities Adeela Shafi (University of Gloucestershire) - Future-Proofing Cricket: How AI-Driven, Bias-Resistant Talent Intelligence Can Transform the Game Kieran Holly (University of Huddersfield) - Why Cricket Fandom Matters: Using Irish cricket to demonstrate the need for a new research agenda in sport fan studies 2.45pm to 3.45pm - Panel 4: Representations of cricket Archit Vyas (Gujarat National Law University) - Media Coverage, Marketing and Sponsorship in Cricket: Rights, Revenue and Governance Richard Jones (University of Salford) - Cricket’s place in the sports news agenda Hannah Thompson-Radford (Swansea University) - “Stop dressing everything in pink”: Hyperfeminisation of the 2020 T20 World Cup Final 3.45pm - TEA & COFFEE 4.00pm to 5.00pm - Panel 5: Governance & Sustainability Steve Menary - Cricket’s obsession with illegal betting sponsorship Shubham Jain (University of Cambridge) - Scorched Pitches: Climate Justice and Cricket's South Asian Paradox Stephen Ross (Pennsylvania State University) - Cricket in the Public Interest: The Need for Governance Reform 5.00pm - END
December 5, 2025 at 12:27 PM
stevemenary.bsky.social
Tuvalu’s international ambitions helped by US tech bros in latest edition of @worldsoccermag.bsky.social
November 26, 2025 at 12:32 PM
stevemenary.bsky.social
Inplay bets offered on amateur US college soccer by offshore sites but who is making it happen? With @jackkerr.bsky.social, @samindrakunti.bsky.social & @philippeauclair.bsky.social for @socceramerica.bsky.social & @josimarfootball.bsky.social Thanks to the FIJ www.socceramerica.com/illegal-offs...
Illegal offshore betting websites offer wagers on U.S. college soccer games - Soccer America
An investigation into the practice identified dozens of men’s and women’s games during this year's NCAA soccer season available for prop bets
www.socceramerica.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:05 PM
stevemenary.bsky.social
Dafabet is all over English cricket, sponsoring live streams of games watched in India where betting is largely illegal. Great work by @nathanpaulsouthern.bsky.social and Lindsey Kennedy for
@josimarfootball.bsky.social @cricketacademic.bsky.social josimarfootball.com/2025/10/29/d...
Dirty money - josimarfootball.com
Celtic proudly promotes itself as a football club with a social consciousness. For nine years the club’s main sponsor has been a betting company breaking laws, defrauding customers and wrecking lives.
josimarfootball.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Reposted by Steve Menary
cricketacademic.bsky.social
PANEL: Cricket, Gambling and Match-Fixing

29 October 2025
5pm-6pm (London time - GMT)

Chair: @stevemenary.bsky.social
Panelists: Dr Minhyeok Tak – Loughborough University, Anca-Maria Ghergel – Sheffield Hallam University, Will Gunn – Sporting Solutions

Open to all. DM us for the Teams link!
A red cricket ball on grass, with players in whites visible in the background.
October 24, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Reposted by Steve Menary
ncgeehan.bsky.social
Thanks to @playthegame-org.bsky.social for this platform and @stevemenary.bsky.social for the write-up!
www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-is...
"FIFA is so badly governed that all we can do is continue to highlight the rottenness"
From FIFA’s opaque development funding to club-level political interference and the repression of fan expression, panellists at Play the Game detailed how football’s global institutions continue to be...
www.playthegame.org
October 9, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Reposted by Steve Menary
josimarfootball.bsky.social
New.

For months, the Russian army has secretly recruited hundreds, if not thousands, of jobless migrant workers in Qatar to fight on the frontline against Ukraine.

By @samindrakunti.bsky.social and @bobbyperu.bsky.social

josimarfootball.com/2025/09/25/t...
The migrant soldiers - josimarfootball.com
For months, the Russian army has secretly recruited hundreds, if not thousands, of jobless migrant workers in Qatar to fight on the frontline against Ukraine.
josimarfootball.com
September 29, 2025 at 8:19 AM
stevemenary.bsky.social
@begovicmarko.bsky.social and I teamed up to write this new report on the growth of offshore betting regulators which facilitate illegal betting and match fixing ifhaonline.org/default.asp?...
International Federation of Horseracing Authorities
ifhaonline.org
September 24, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Reposted by Steve Menary
cricketacademic.bsky.social
Important new research from Steve Menary on the increase in relationships between betting companies and leading cricket teams, tournaments & players post-Covid.

Have a read below ⬇️⬇️
September 1, 2025 at 9:29 AM
stevemenary.bsky.social
Cricket is being flooded by betting companies targeting South Asia .. where betting is largely illegal. New research showing how big the problem is for @playthegame-org.bsky.social
@cricketacademic.bsky.social www.playthegame.org/news/new-res...
New research: Cricket flooded with betting sponsorships after pandemic
Research by Play the Game reveals a surge in betting deals, with 1737confirmed partnerships between betting companies, cricket teams, tournaments, and players in the last two decades.
www.playthegame.org
August 28, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Reposted by Steve Menary
josimarfootball.bsky.social
New.

Money-laundering, scamming, cyber slavery compounds and appalling human rights abuses are no obstacles for Premier League clubs looking for betting partners – or the UK regulator.

By @philippeauclair.bsky.social

josimarfootball.com/2025/07/29/p...
Plus ça change - josimarfootball.com
Money-laundering, scamming, cyber slavery compounds and appalling human rights abuses are no obstacles for Premier League clubs looking for betting partners – or the UK regulator.
josimarfootball.com
July 29, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Reposted by Steve Menary
josimarfootball.bsky.social
New.

Uefa’s integrity partner Sportradar consistently claims that it doesn’t sell data to unlicensed gambling operators. But its annual report states that it generates significant revenue from unlicensed gambling.

By @journoandy.bsky.social

josimarfootball.com/2025/07/22/b...
Below the radar - josimarfootball.com
Uefa’s integrity partner Sportradar consistently claims that it doesn’t sell data to unlicensed gambling operators. But its annual report states that it generates significant revenue from unlicensed g...
josimarfootball.com
July 23, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Reposted by Steve Menary
samindrakunti.bsky.social
Sportradar always claim to protect the integrity of the game.

In reality, they are the baddies.

Latest with @philippeauclair.bsky.social, @journoandy.bsky.social,
@stevemenary.bsky.social and Jack Kerr.

josimarfootball.com/2025/07/22/b...
Below the radar - josimarfootball.com
Uefa’s integrity partner Sportradar consistently claims that it doesn’t sell data to unlicensed gambling operators. But its annual report states that it generates significant revenue from unlicensed g...
josimarfootball.com
July 22, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Reposted by Steve Menary
josimarfootball.bsky.social
New.

Leicester were set to unveil their kit for the new season last week, but the announcement was postponed. Was it because their new sponsor KBET is a hitherto unknown – and illegal – online bookmaker?

By @philippeauclair.bsky.social

josimarfootball.com/2025/07/21/r...
Running like a fox - josimarfootball.com
Leicester were set to unveil their kit for the new season last week, but the announcement was postponed. Was it because their new sponsor KBET is a hitherto unknown – and illegal – online bookmaker?
josimarfootball.com
July 21, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Reposted by Steve Menary
josimarfootball.bsky.social
New:
Sanctioned? Fined? Banned? Not a problem if you’re a sports betting company eager to do business. Illegal bookmakers linked to Premier League clubs recently set up stalls at a gambling conference in London.

By @philippeauclair.bsky.social

josimarfootball.com/2025/07/07/b...
Banned operators, business as usual - josimarfootball.com
Sanctioned? Fined? Banned? Not a problem if you're a sports betting company eager to do business. Illegal bookmakers linked to Premier League clubs recently set up stalls at a gambling conference in L...
josimarfootball.com
July 7, 2025 at 12:03 PM