Thank you for your kind words. Italian or English it is very encouraging to receive.

As for your blog have you come across the work of Carlo Petrini, ‘Nel Fango Del Dio Pallone’? As an ex-Serie A player, he has a lot of information about fixing in the Italian league.

Ciao a presto y grazie,

Declan

Really im surprised about your danger job, about your great courage and perseverance, when i talk with my friends about this investigation, i m really excited to talk about these things, because i imagine what you had to do to, behind your book.
Well, my english is a little poor (i should study it a little…) but i hope you can understand something!
I’d like to write more and more thoughts (but maybe for the setting of the blog it’s better so!).
I want to finish with few thoughts in italian language.

Complimenti davvero, apprezzo molto il tuo lavoro (come ti ho detto di aver apprezzato molto Saviano, un ragazzo che per scrivere un libro come Gomorra, ha praticamente rinunciato ad avere una sua vita personale).
Quando in questo mondo pensiamo a delle persone coraggiose, dovremmo ricordarci un po’ più spesso di questi giornalisti come te che per amore della verità, rischiano in prima persona in territori molto pericolosi, territori geografici come l’ Iraq, l’Afganisthan, il Kosovo o territori misteriosi come la mafia, la camorra, ecc.

I salut you and i tell you only thanks for everything you do and take care of yourself always.

Ciao, Anto.

Thank you for your kind words. I have refrained from posting a new blog for the past few months. But will be coming out with new information in the next month! In the meantime, good luck with your facebook page against match-fixing. I encourage everyone to join it!

Best regards,

Declan

Thank you for your kind words. Feel free in the future to write in Italian, I may not be able to respond particularly well, but I can understand.

I also have read ‘Gomorra’ and am big fan. I saw Roberto Saviano speak at Oxford and was impressed by him.

However, do not despair. We are winning this war. Slowly, other people agencies are starting to take the threat seriously. There will always people who would rather step on the whistleblower or try to silence the messenger. But this is one campaign that we will win.

Take heart and as my Irish relatives used to say, ‘Keep the Faith and Never Give Up’!

Lots of good wishes,

Declan

i’m italian, i dont write very well english, but i try the same to write you.
I’m finishing to read your book (Calcio Mafia in italian edition), and i’m very interested to read and understand your news.
I don’t know if you know the italian book “Gomorra”, i imagine yes, and your book remember me this other book inquiry.
I’m trying to talk about your book on italian site (like site about sports news, or forum or other things), i’d like to make to know all your great job.
I work for my state, in the public administration (tax office) and to know there are people like you that want to discover the truth it’s a relief for my soul.
I don’t know english people, but i’d like to see in italian people indignation and not resignation (like a member has written above, about Berlusconi).
Sorry for my english, i hope you’ve understood what i wanted to say.
For now, thanks again for you big job, i’m going to finish the book (now i’m at the chapter about Appiah).
Best regards
Anto

Thank you for the questions. First, Brandy’s suggestion of ranking the leagues by corruption. There is a ranking for countries by a colleague Johann Lambsdorff at:
http://www.icgg.org/corruption.cpi_2008.html

The problem for ranking sports leagues is that it is difficult to measure what we cannot see – that is fixed matches. So there may be lots of fixed matches in the Spanish league (just as an example) but because there is no protection for whistleblowers or investigation units, we do not have any concrete examples. No one dares come forward to denounce them.

Two, as to the state of hockey. The NHL is not great. The original documentary that I worked on in terms of Russian mob involvement with prominent hockey players is over ten year old: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/hockey/

However, the NHL is far ahead of most European soccer leagues. There they do not even have integrity units. Nor has any government launched the equivalent of a Congressional Investigation into their status. There is still much to be done.

Best wishes,

Declan Hill

isn’t there a clean way to make a website categorizing all leagues in clean and dirty. So leagues start to worry, when their league becomes too dirty. Giving the clean leagues and clubs a mark for good behaviour?