A total of 397 matches in '17 -- 32 of which were friendlies, including int'l friendlies -- "showed suspicious betting trends," according to Paul Nicholson of INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL. Perhaps "even more" worrying is that 62 youth matches "showed signs of being fixed," according to a new football betting monitoring report. The report -- compiled by the Perform Group, Starlizard Integrity Services and TXODDS -- analyzed 54,757 matches in more than 500 competitions and across 90 countries, "and gives a sobering snapshot of the trends in match-fixing." What is "most concerning is the volume of matches fixed against the number of cases that are investigated and lead to sanctions," leaving the football market "wide open to match manipulation and match-fixers with more than 90% certainty they will get away with their crimes." The report found that "the bulk of suspicious matches take place in Europe and Asia," with Europe "leading the way" with 241 matches compared to 71 in Asia. In terms of percentage of total matches fixed by region, Asia is "ahead of Europe," with 1.34% showing suspicious betting activity compared to 0.75% in Europe (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 7/10).
