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Steve Menary

@stevemenary.bsky.social
1.6K followers 112 following 69 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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Reposted by Steve Menary
Sam Kunti @samindrakunti.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Time to brush up your Norwegian! In the latest issue of @josimarfootball.bsky.social, @philippeauclair.bsky.social writes about Marseille, @stevemenary.bsky.social details Greenland's struggle for recognition and I reported on club ownership in Belgium. 👉 josimar.no/artikler/utg...
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Four penalties in an U21 friendly between North Macedonia and Russia! All perfectly normal, nothing to see here 🤫 sportmanija.mk/vo-mech-za-i...
sportmanija.mk
Во „меч за историја“ на кој беа досудени четири пенали, Македонија загуби од Русија
Македонската фудбалска репрезентација за играчи до 21 година загуби со 2:3 од врсниците од Русија во пријателски меч кој се одигра попладнево на тренинг центарот „Петар Милошевски“ на ФФМ.
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Maybe austerity is why Caribbean cricket is swamped by ads for illegal betting companies?
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Reposted by Steve Menary
JosimarFootball @josimarfootball.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
New! Ny! Records from the Curaçao Gaming Authority have revealed the identity of the owner of the Premier League’s most visible illegal betting sponsor. But is “Ryan Li” really the man behind 8Xbet, or just a front? By @philippeauclair.bsky.social and co. josimarfootball.com/2026/09/25/p...
josimarfootball.com
Private Ryan - josimarfootball.com
Records from the Curaçao Gaming Authority have revealed the identity of the owner of the Premier League's most visible illegal betting sponsor. But is "Ryan Li" really the man behind 8Xbet, or just a ...
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The number of clubs making their debut in the modern Champions League in 2026/27 has risen, but is diversity really increasing? For the Union of European Clubs www.ueceurope.org/post/uec-div...
ueceurope.org
UEC Diversity Index 2026/27: New Entrants Rise, but Champions League Concentration Persists - Union of European Clubs - News
The latest UEC Champions League Diversity Index shows encouraging signs of greater diversity, with 12 debutants in 2026/27 and two navigating the qualifiers to reach the league phase. However, persist...
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
What really happened at the EUT20 in Belgium, reporting from the ground. Illegal betting involved obvs …. For @nightwatchmanxi.bsky.social
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Is the Premier League’s love affair with illegal betting companies going to change? The Government is trying. For @wsc.co.uk
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Play the Game @playthegame-org.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Curaçao doesn't just host the offshore betting industry. It powers it☝🏼 617 licences. More than 10,000 betting sites. Fewer than 30 staff to police them🚨 Read Play the Game’s full investigation, directly from Willemstad👇🏼 www.playthegame.org/news/the-isl...
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Reposted by Steve Menary
Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Publication day for @stevemenary.bsky.social, @samindrakunti.bsky.social, @matthijsvndam.bsky.social, Jack Kerr and I, who have spent months investigating Curaçao, the island that drives the world's illegal betting for @josimarfootball.bsky.social, @playthegame-org.bsky.social and @trouw.nl.
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Live Inplay betting on Scotland Over-60s in India where betting is mostly illegal courtesy of Russian controlled bookie with Curacao licence - all perfectly normal
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
San Marino Calcio
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Nice
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Fantastic band. I have a number of their early 7” and most of their LP in vinyl, thanks for pointing out
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Mixed metaphors I know but milking the 🐋
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Sounds to me like a lack of understanding of how betting works and what prediction markets really are
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Cricket is awash with betting ads, most from companies operating where they have no licence (so illegal). I’ve updated research in this article; it’s getting worse & now betting ads in the 2026 Hundred, a competition marketed at kids 🤮 @cricketacademic.bsky.social www.playthegame.org/news/new-res...
playthegame.org
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.
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Great piece of work by @pobjourno.bsky.social for @playthegame-org.bsky.social on cricket governance @cricketacademic.bsky.social www.playthegame.org/news/greed-a...
playthegame.org
How cricket's 55 million USD development fund gets gamed
The International Cricket Council distributes tens of millions of dollars per year in development funding through a system insiders say is loosely monitored and easily manipulated.
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Sam Kunti @samindrakunti.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
The story of Gianni Infantino crisscrossing North America during the group stages of the World Cup. For @josimarfootball.bsky.social josimarfootball.com/2026/06/28/i...
josimarfootball.com
International Jet Set  - josimarfootball.com
Fifa president Gianni Infantino clocked over 50,000 km on a private jet during the World Cup group stage.
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Greenland before their third place play off with Canton Ticona at the 2026 Conifa Euros but when will they play next? @concacaf.bsky.social?
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
The Top 5 betting operators attracting the most complaints from customers in 2025 at AskGamblers.com are also major sponsors of sport, football and cricket in particular. Do those sports know? Do they care? Probably not
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
FIFA is embracing the betting industry with troubling consequences in a remorseless attempt to commercialise everything everywhere all at once - for @playthegame-org.bsky.social www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-s-...
playthegame.org
FIFA’s betting expansion raises integrity fears
FIFA’s growing ties to betting operators, prediction markets, and data companies are opening new integrity risks from the World Cup to low-level matches streamed on FIFA+.
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Reposted by Steve Menary
Play the Game @playthegame-org.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
FIFA’s growing ties to betting operators, prediction markets, and data companies are opening new integrity risks⚠️ Experts warn that football’s global body is commercialising betting opportunities faster than it can police them By @stevemenary.bsky.social 👇 www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-s-...
playthegame.org
FIFA’s betting expansion raises integrity fears
FIFA’s growing ties to betting operators, prediction markets, and data companies are opening new integrity risks from the World Cup to low-level matches streamed on FIFA+.
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
What a joker!
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Reposted by Steve Menary
JosimarFootball @josimarfootball.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
New! Ny! Popular Norwegian football app FotMob is being used as a platform to advertise illegal betting across the globe. By @stevemenary.bsky.social josimarfootball.com/2026/04/30/i...
josimarfootball.com
In through the back door - josimarfootball.com
Popular Norwegian football app FotMob is being used as a platform to advertise illegal betting across the globe, an investigation by Josimar has uncovered.
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Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
New for @josimarfootball.bsky.social, by @stevemenary.bsky.social: FotMob has become one of the world's most popular score apps...and a favoured conduit for illegal betting operators to promote their brands in Asia. josimarfootball.com/2026/04/30/i...
josimarfootball.com
In through the back door - josimarfootball.com
Popular Norwegian football app FotMob is being used as a platform to advertise illegal betting across the globe, an investigation by Josimar has uncovered.
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Has multi club ownership peaked? Number of linked clubs looks to have fallen back … #MCO www.linkedin.com/posts/steve-...
linkedin.com
#mco | Steve Menary
Has multi club ownership peaked? In five years of tracking clubs linked by the same owners, significant shareholders or investors, there has been remorseless growth in MCO but that has stopped. At the...
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
4 games in English women’s Metro Cup cricket were available yesterday with a live stream in India, where betting is largely illegal, on 1xBet. Given the clubs should ultimately be responsible for this livestream, how is it appearing on 1xBet?
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Raf Nicholson @rafnicholson.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
The dark underbelly of women's cricket's growth. A grim read - but an important one.
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
New investigation from @jackkerr.bsky.social and myself on how shady offshore betting operators linked to porn are exploiting women’s cricket for @playthegame-org.bsky.social @cricketacademic.bsky.social www.playthegame.org/news/from-po...
playthegame.org
How offshore betting targets women's cricket
A Play the Game investigation reveals gambling operators linked to pornographic content access live data from women’s cricket. This exposes such risks as match-fixing.
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Reposted by Steve Menary
Mark Tighe @marktighe.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Gambling site promoted by Irish tipster uses ‘fraudulent licence’, says overseas central bank www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
irishtimes.com
Gambling site promoted by Irish tipster uses ‘fraudulent licence’, says overseas central bank
Rob Heneghan previously advised followers to ‘run and never look back’ if tipster ever promoted bookmaker
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Kherson are playing Zaporizhia, and the match is available for in-play bets because someone is collecting live data. Surely this is a problem?!
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Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
"Alexander Smith" was the representative of illegal bookmaker Z6 when they signed a deal with the Croatian national team. But "Alexander Smith" does not exist. So who is this man? A (wild) joint investigation by @josimarfootball.bsky.social and @bellingcat.com. josimarfootball.com/2026/04/01/m...
josimarfootball.com
My name is “Smith”, “Alexander Smith” - josimarfootball.com
How did a computer science academic and reality TV show contestant from Zagreb end up representing illegal sports-betting operator Z6 when it signed a sponsorship agreement with the Croatia national f...
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Nick Harris @sportingintel.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
FIFA World Cup 2026: In Trump’s America, nothing can be ruled out. A piece for @playthegame_org about this summer's tournament. www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-wo...
playthegame.org
FIFA World Cup 2026: In Trump’s America, nothing can be ruled out
While thousands of reporters prepare to cover the FIFA World Cup, concerns grow over the Trump administration’s crackdown on critics and foreigners. Nick Harris from Sporting Intelligence takes a clos...
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Sam Kunti @samindrakunti.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Nine years out from the World Cup and Saudi Arabia is intimidating the unions to get a complaint at the ILO dropped. My latest for @josimarfootball.bsky.social. josimarfootball.com/2026/03/19/c...
josimarfootball.com
Cease and desist - josimarfootball.com
Saudi Arabia wants a repeat of the Qatar World Cup - little or no accountability over its treatment of migrant workers. The Arab Kingdom is not shy to intimidate unions to get a current complaint at t...
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JosimarFootball @josimarfootball.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Når selskaper som hevder å beskytte fotballen mot kampfiksing er de samme som legger til rette for kampfiksing, blir hver kamp en varslet kampfiksingskatastrofe. Det kan også ramme Norge. Kommentar og analyse av @stevemenary.bsky.social josimar.no/artikler/spi...
josimar.no
Spillselskapsleken | Josimar
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Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
New for @josimarfootball.bsky.social: part 1 of our investigation into 8Xbet, the new unlicensed betting partner of Newcastle United, who now sponsor *nine* English clubs - when the government is making noises about a full ban of unlicensed bookmakers. Really? josimarfootball.com/2026/03/09/c...
josimarfootball.com
Cuckoo in the nest? Part I - josimarfootball.com
As the UK government considers introducing a blanket ban on advertising for unlicensed bookmakers in football, Newcastle United has become the latest Premier League club  to become the partner of myst...
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Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
New for @josimarfootball.bsky.social. I wish to express thanks and my admiration to Zohreh Abdollahkhani, who found the courage and the strength to write this heart-rending piece, commissioned before Iran was attacked by the US and Israel. josimarfootball.com/2026/03/05/s...
josimarfootball.com
Silent slaughter - josimarfootball.com
Enough footballers were killed by the Iranian Islamist regime in the space of forty-eight hours in January to make up two full teams. Fifa’s response? Silence.
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
www.ueceurope.org/post/ucl-div...
ueceurope.org
UCL Diversity Index 2025/26: new entrants at their lowest level in 14 years - Union of European Clubs - News
Created by independent journalist Steve Menary, the UEC's UCL Diversity Index provides an overview of the state of competitive balance at the top of the European football pyramid
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Reposted by Steve Menary
Raf Nicholson @rafnicholson.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Our final #CRN2026 panel is focused on Governance and Sustainability. @stevemenary.bsky.social shares worrying findings about illegal betting sponsorship, which doubled between 2021 and 2025. Harry Brook, Steve argues, is (inadvertently) helping to promote illegal betting in the screenshot below.
Powerpoint slide with a tweet from illegal betting company Babu88, announcing their sponsorship of England's tour of Sri Lanka. Brook is pictured trying to ground his bat, with the betting sponsors visible on the advertising hoardings in the background.
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Thanks @philippeauclair.bsky.social ❤️ should point out it’s a joint piece with the marvellous @samindrakunti.bsky.social
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Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
A YouTube channel called VORA has posted a video which is a complete rip-off of the work @stevemenary.bsky.social has done on how illegal sports betting operators are using FIFA+ live football streaming. Pure theft. Zero credit. Just fishing for clicks at the expense of a proper journalist.
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Thanks Rod, I was rather hoping it might have more impact 😬
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Cricket Research Network @cricketacademic.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Great piece by Steve. We are looking forward to his presentation on this topic at our conference in 2 weeks time. #CRN2026
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Nick Harris @sportingintel.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
EXPOSED: the rise of illegal and unregulated betting companies in international cricket Brilliant piece by @stevemenary.bsky.social sportingintelligence832.substack.com/p/exposed-th...
sportingintelligence832.substack.com
EXPOSED: the rise of illegal and unregulated betting companies in international cricket
What does a betting firm PR man have in common with a London lingerie model and a Malaysian punk singer? They have all been used as fronts for dodgy sports sponsors
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
www.worldsoccer.com/world-soccer...
worldsoccer.com
FC DAC 1904 On The Up In Slovakian Football | Steve Menary
FC DAC 1904 On The Up In Slovakian Football | Steve Menary - Viktor Orban seeks to expand his sphere of influence past Hungary’s borders
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Paul Brown @pbsportswriter.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Is football at the frontline of the next financial crisis? Private Equity firms are using complex offshore arrangements to channel insurance money into football. This Bermuda Triangle strategy ended badly for 777 Partners, but could be a preview of the future. www.playthegame.org/news/investm...
playthegame.org
Why investment funds could trigger football’s next crisis
Firms that specialise in buying and selling companies are using complex offshore arrangements to channel insurance money into football clubs. This Bermuda Triangle strategy has already ended badly for...
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Next Arctic Winter Games at Whitehorse in March should be interesting as Greenland and Alaska both sending teams www.awg2026.org
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.
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Steve Menary @stevemenary.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
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...
open.substack.com
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
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Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
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...
josimarfootball.com
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...
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Sam Kunti @samindrakunti.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
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...
playthegame.org
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...
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