Great news for the defences of Israel and Russia - Michael Owen made his long-awaited comeback for Newcastle last night by successfully failing to score during the hour that he spent on the pitch against non-league Blue Star.
Only the casinos of Europe have seen more of little Michael than the Newcastle treatment room since his arrival in the north east following a conspicuous lack of interest in his playing abilities from the G14(18) clubs after his debacle of a spell at Real Madrid.
Owen hopes to return to the Toon first team action this next weekend before replacing the injured Rooney in the Euro 2008 Qualifiers and the bookmakers will be rubbing their hands with glee as his absence from club and country has undermined profitability for the layers.
Michael Owen has totally failed to disguise his inappropriate off-field betting business links despite his initial defence that he only bet (via family) on games in which he had no involvement. All market analysts know better. When Owen was a regular in the England set up, he was the team bookmaker handling internal bets from the likes of Lampard, Terry, James, Ferdinand and, infamously, Rooney. When the stakes increased, Owen handed over the market making to his business partner and director at Owen Promotions (a property development company), Yorkshireman Steve Smith. These bets from the England internationals were then hedged and offset by Smith's links to a major British bookmaker. None of this would have reached the public gaze had it not been for Rooney's £700,000 ($1.4 million) losses to Smith. Following representations from Rooney's agent, Paul Stretford, Smith was unable to provide documentary proof of these losses and a gentleman's agreement was reached to write off the debt.
The lack of evidence is indicative of Smith's betting activities. Smith runs Goldchip - a private betting company that deals with inside bets from within the English game. Don't bother looking for Goldchip online nor indeed anywhere else as this is a very surreptitious operation which avoids publicity and, until recently, regulation. Most illicit and illegal bookmaking operations have minimal or no internet presence choosing instead to trade via proprietary intranets or via phone/word of mouth. By operating in such a manner, these layers avoid the attentions of malicious hackers plus focus from any regulatory bodies. However, the new Gambling Act comes into force on September 1st and Smith was forced to seek a licence for Goldchip although he left his application until the final hours before making the decision to go legit.
The linkage between bookmaking organisations and professional footballers, managers and other industry insiders is a major corruption within the game. If a player has a financial interest in the global betting markets then the integrity of the game is totally compromised and leisure punters are fleeced so that the bank accounts of the criminals and the bookies may be enhanced. The corruption also impacts upon the careers of other players and managers and, often, even decides the winners of trophies (as there is far greater financial reward for corrupt practices in major betting turnover events such as Cup Finals etc). The behaviour also gives scant respect to the fans. For example, when Owen was receiving his fifty grand per week for minimal effort on the pitch while at Liverpool, the scousers paying their hard earned cash were being disrespected while the value of Emile Heskey plummeted as it is difficult to achieve alongside a non-performer. Managers are compromised by dodgy players and the one (and only) major fact in favour of Manchester City's appointment of Sven Goran Eriksson is that Eriksson's rating was negatively affected by the lack of performance from the likes of Owen, Lampard and James while the Swede was managing the England team. Eriksson is a considerably better manager than he is given credit for.
The parallels between football and horseracing continue to become more evident in Britain. Corrupt trainers and jockeys share equivalence with corrupt managers and players while the authorities provide disinformation to enhance the corrupt control. We mentioned at the weekend how the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOB) moves referees around just prior to kick off to suit betting pattern manipulations and there are parallels here with the jockey changes and non-runners that litter the criminal world of horseracing. The half full ground at Middlesboro's opening Premiership match is replicated by the 150 souls who choose to attend the Catterick races as the public is not fooled by the conversion of their true sport into a betting sport.
So, expect Owen to continue to do Goldchip's business on the pitch and we would strongly advise caution if you feel tempted to get involved in any market where the little man has influence. England's place at the Euro 2008 Finals and, indeed, their performances should they qualify should not be dependent on the betting markets.
Bang out of order. End of story...
© Football Is Fixed/Dietrological
