by Rob Harris, U.S. News
LONDON (AP) — When Moses Swaibu stands in front of future Premier League players, warning of the dangers of becoming embroiled in match-fixing, he is speaking from experience.
“You do not want to end up in my position, going to prison,” Swaibu recalls telling some of the game’s most famous players in talks at training grounds, “sitting in the cell with someone you once looked up to that played in the Premier League, eating tinned food and a packet of crisps and someone opening your door, telling you what you should and shouldn’t do for 24 hours.
“And that’s when I would say the penny drops. But then I’ll turn around and say that’s the worst-case scenario. Best-case scenario is you’re going to go play in the Premier League and everyone’s happy.”
Swaibu’s educational talks at academies with future stars are about ensuring the current generation of players do not make the same mistakes as him. They are lessons in how a series of fateful mistakes ended up five years ago with him being convicted of conspiracy to bribe lower-league players in England and jailed, along with Delroy Facey, who played as a striker in the Premier League for Bolton.
