It was the greatest case of match-fixing in sports. At the heart of the investigation was one obsessive cop. A man who would stop at nothing to bring down the fixers.  This is his story.

            The Fixers War

This is the transcript of the podcast episode/interview with Michael Bahrs, one of Europe’s top undercover cops on the fight against a ferocious match-fixing gang. If you want to listen – please go to https://www.crimewavespodcast.com

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One phone call changes your life.

You know what happens. The phone rings, you answer, and everything in your life changes. It might be good news, it might be bad news, but from that moment, everything is different. There is “before the call” and “after the call.” This episode features one of Europe’s best undercover investigators, and it starts with a life-changing phone call. Except in this case, the investigator doesn’t pick up the phone.The call is not for him. He’s actually listening to a covertly taped call between a mobster and one of his sources. The call is chilling. The investigator hears the source crying and begging for his life.

And what he hears leads to an unprecedented multi-year investigation with high-stress tactical police raids in dozens of countries, hundreds of arrests and convictions, and it reveals widespread criminal match fixing at the heart of international sports.

Music

Welcome to Crimewaves.
Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you are in the world.
This is Crimewaves. My name is Declan Hill and I’m an Associate Professor of Investigations here at the University of New Haven. Each week myself and my students, and this week it is the brilliant Ryan Decker and Aidan Van Battenberg, bring you stories of investigators from around the world.
In this episode of Crimewaves, we’re returning to blood sports. A professional passion, it’s exposing the tsunami of corruption in modern-day sport.
Our guest is Michael Bars.
He’s a tough, no-nonsense cop who has the reputation of being absolutely fearless in taking down the criminals. His reputation grew when he became one of the lead investigators in the Bochum Boys case into match fixing in international soccer.
Good morning, good evening, Michael. Thank you so much for joining us on Crimewaves podcast. It’s a real honor to have you here, brother.

Michael Bahrs

Thank you very much for inviting me.
It’s a pleasure for me to speak to you, of course.

Declan Hill

Listen, let’s just get cracking right away.
We’re talking about this story, you’re on your headset, you’re listening to a match fixer talking in real time to a player and your head just starts to explode.
What happened?
What’s that story?

Michael Bahrs

Yeah it was absolutely crazy because our case starts with a drug dealing case has nothing to do with match fixing at this time I’ve never heard about match fixing there was earlier scandals in football but at this time for me it was far far away and then I listen to the criminals normally I expected
a conversation about drugs about some strange things in that how they get the drugs from the others and now I listen to a football player talking to one of those drug dealers and they speak about hey bro let us meet again and what’s going on is the next game ready and I thought what happened what really happened.

Declan Hill

Were you thinking this was this some kind of code that they were using soccer terminology for a drug deal was that what you’re thinking

Michael Bahrs

No, I thought it is a ridiculous scene.
That means maybe they know each other, but the football player didn’t know what really happened or what his brother do.
And I listened, of course, carefully.
My mouth were wide open, I think.
And then they speak about paying each other.
That means work for me and let us do this thing like the last time.
that means they do it again and again and this was the first crazy but at this time I thought it was I’m not really in this scene I think the next step they say okay that was a mistake or they laugh or but it was reality and then it goes on that means they say think about if you don’t work for me what happened and
Yes, yes bro, I know, I know, I know how important it is for you and so on.
And this was the first time I really been touched of that strange thing, yeah.

Declan Hill

And your whole life is about to change dramatically from this one thing.
We’re going to get deep into the world of match fixing and European soccer, but, but tell me a little bit about this conversation.
Is it, is it one of those covertly recorded ones where you’ve got a microphone hidden somewhere and you’re listening to these, these guys don’t know that you’re recording it.
Is that right?

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, of course.
It was absolutely undercover or top secret.
They don’t know that we listened to them, of course.
This was part of our job.
As the first conversation stopped, the next call goes inside to the fixer and it has the same story.
But the money they talked about was unbelievable.
The Fixers don’t have
They don’t have to tell the player what he has done, because he knows what he should do.
So he only said, OK, next game?
And he said, yes.
And that was it.
And then they talk about, is he fit at the moment or is he maybe injured or something like that?
Yeah.
And then after the call was stopped, the fixer called another criminal guy from the drug dealing scene and said, OK,
All is safe, all is clear, let us do.
And the crazy thing was the guy on the other side having any idea of soccer.
The fixer named some teams and I know it because I’m a big football fan but the fixer don’t know what is it.
Is it a club?
Is it an injury?
He doesn’t know what to really speak about, but he knows that he has to pay.
And when the bet was good, then they received a lot of money.
So it was strange.
This was the first time I ever heard about fixing it.

Declan Hill

At that point, you are only, I’m putting only in a quotation mark on that thing, but you’re only an organized crime investigator investigating drugs.
You didn’t know you weren’t going out to investigate sports, you weren’t going to investigate sports gambling, you weren’t going to investigate match fixing, but this is the first moment of this investigation.
And from there, I want to make sure that our listeners know, from this one conversation, it spirals
Huge, I mean it really goes huge.
Tell us Michael how big this case gets in soccer, how huge it gets.

Michael Bahrs

At the end, you are absolutely right.
You said you are only working in organized crime.
This is right.
Typical organized crime cases like drug dealing, murder cases, human trafficking and such things.
Normal for police work, but never, never match fixing.
and it was unbelievable.
I think you can’t tell it or you can’t understand when you not really listen to them.
It is really unbelievable because they are on the next day, the next two days and the next weeks so many different players from so many different clubs are involved.
and and I asked myself what happened and all of our unit asked ourselves what really happened what what what are they doing money laundering maybe money laundering but um but for me and and of course I have blue eyes but I’m not such an idiot that I don’t know what really is behind organized crime but um I I I never thought that
Sports or sportsmen are so deep inside organized crime because the sport is their life and they throw it away and for me it was unbelievable.

Declan Hill

We’re really going to unpack this and talk about match fixing and talk about how it can be stopped and all the kinds of things, but by the time your investigation goes to court, and there’s many court cases, there’s many trials, there’s many arrests, many convictions, which is the gold standard for cops, you uncover hundreds of fixed matches, do you not?

Michael Bahrs

Yes, of course.
In the end we investigate
More than 300 fixed games all over the world.
So this was crazy because we started in Bochum.
I think nobody knows Bochum really.

Declan Hill

And Bochum, by the way, for our listeners who don’t know Germany, I’ve been there a couple of times. It’s right in the middle of the industrial area of Germany. It’s kind of like the Pittsburgh of Germany.
If you’re an American listener, it’s a blue collar, working class town that had steel mills and coal.
It’s a tough guy’s town.
Is that a fair description?

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, it’s a special area. I think if Bruce Springsteen makes a song about Germany, he will sing about Bochum.

And Bochum is the so-called Ruhrgebiet.
That means Bochum, Dortmund, Essen, Gelsenkirchen.
These are the towns nearby and they’re living in football that means everyone who’s living there has a heart of a football player and this was a special thing because now you are stepped into an unreal world that means you touched by football players they are well known and they are deep inside a criminal network and they um they paid by them they they are absolutely um or the the criminals are the leaders of them and this was for me
I miss the right words to describe this because normally a football player is giving an interview and he is the tough guy, everybody looks up at him, every kid on the street wears his shirt with a name on the shirt with his number and now he’s… there was one special thing, I listened to a well-known high player, he’s
he should fix a game and of course the football player couldn’t play the worst game ever because after a couple of minutes he will be out of the pitch because he’ll be substituted the coach will take him out yes yes right right and he plays good and he gives a pass through one and the for what leads to a goal and the game ends 1-0.
But the criminal network and the player who gives the pass bet against his own team.

Declan Hill

Holy moly.
So he made an assist that scored a goal for his team.
He didn’t want to do it, but he did.
And now he’s meeting the mobster and you’re listening.
What does this guy say to the mobster?

Michael Bahrs

Yeah and I listened after the game I listened to what happened on the pitch and it was amazing amazing to to be part of that but yes unbelievable because they say okay we we um I the the bad guy told him I give you instructions and you fucker uh work against me that means I destroy your career and um and the the well-known football player was crying
Oh, give me one chance.
We work together so much time and I work every time for you.
Give me another chance.
Give me another chance.
Blah, blah, blah.

Declan Hill

So this famous soccer player star is crying because his organized crime thug.
So everyone else in Germany salutes the big soccer playing star says, Hey, what an amazing guy you are.
And in this conversation after he’s played well, he’s crying in front of this mother.

Michael Bahrs

He has never a chance to get out of this criminal network, never.

Declan Hill

Now I just want to say, you say of course because you’re an organized crime cop, that’s what you’ve done for your career is bust these guys, arrest them, throw them away.
But myself and the listeners,
There’s nothing, of course, about this interview.
Our minds are being blown away.
And I just also want to make sure that our listeners know, by the time you finish unpeeling the network, you guys discovered there were World Cup qualifying matches and Champions League games that were being fixed.
Is that right?

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, right.
First, our Bochum case stops because the criminals have been sentenced to long prison terms.
but at this time it was four or four years ongoing cases and I have at this time a big network from criminals, from journalists, from lawyers, from prosecutors and they contact me because I’m now deep inside this criminal phenomenon
and then we go the next step that means we leave Germany we are now entering the European criminal countries of football after that we step into the next and suddenly we find out we are worldwide investigators and this is absolutely untypical

Declan Hill

How many countries was this network, was this criminal network of Match Fixers touching?
Two, three, five?

Michael Bahrs

I think it was 24.
What?

Declan Hill

24 countries these guys were working in?

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, yeah.
And the big thing is, the thing leads to not only one person, there are different groups all over the world, of course.
but what I’m very impressed was they know each other the criminals not personal but they have heard from them they have heard from them and it is such a big network so this is what I want to tell the public it is not only because we make some arrestings that means we have destroyed all the big match fixers it was
It was only one cent corn in this whole desert.
It was nothing.

Declan Hill

Let me get this right.
From this tough, working class, industrial time, as you say brilliantly, if Bruce Springsteen was to write a song about Germany, it would be set in Bochum.
and you’re listening to these drug dealers you’ve got no idea what’s going on and you pull this thread and by the time you’ve unfinished raveling this thread not only have you got a successful criminal convictions in Boko but you’ve got a network that’s spreading 24 countries around the world goes world cup goes champions league and you’ve only made a tiny tiny bump in this
in this network.
It’s still carrying on, it’s still going on.
Talk to us if you can, Michael, about dealing with different law enforcement agencies around the world.
What’s it like dealing with non-German police forces?

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, this is the biggest thing we have to deal with because you
You have to know that if there are special laws in Germany, for example, that does not mean that they also apply abroad.
That means if we have, if our law said, okay, you can wiretapping some guys, but we have to work with another Belgium, Denmark, Norway, for example, or the US.
We have also suspicious games in America and Canada.

Declan Hill

Okay, hang on a second.
I can see you, the listeners can’t.
You’re shrugging your shoulders like you’re doing that of course thing again which was talking about earlier which is like it’s so normal for you as an organized crime investigator.
You’re just like oh yeah of course we had fixed matches in America and Canada.
So you were hearing that this network was working in America?

Michael Bahrs

Yes, yes.
And we try to work with the Canadian police together.
This is what you ask for.
That means, for example, if I’m a police officer in Germany and I know that there are some criminal activities in Canada, I can’t fly to Canada and make my own business there and arrest people.
That means I need a so-called letter of derogatory.
I need help from
from the police in Canada.
And it depends how motivated the other guys are and if they have the same law like us.

Declan Hill

And this is very… So what was it like working with the Canadian police?

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, I tried to give my evidence we have to Canada.
But after a couple of times,
then it is on another level that means the prosecutors talk to each other and find some solution how they can work together yeah but I think I don’t know I’m not investigating in Canada at the moment but I at this time for a couple of years or for some years I ever get
information that that in Canada is something strange and yeah the the criminals talk about suspicious games in Canada yeah

Declan Hill

All right.
Well, I notice and I don’t want to embarrass you.
I know you’re still an organized crime investigator.
I know we were very lucky to get you.
All of what we’re talking about is in your recently released book, which is a fantastic book, by the way.
I strongly recommend listeners, if you’re engaged with this story, if you’re finding this podcast interesting, please, at the end, we will make sure that you have a link to Michael’s book with a German journalist.
It’s fantastic.
But I did notice when I asked you about dealing with Canadian police officers, you were very polite, but there was a lot of shrugging going on there.
And at the end, it sounds like nothing happened.
There certainly wasn’t any arrests in Canada.

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, but this is a global problem in my eyes.

Declan Hill

So it wasn’t just the Canadian law enforcement community that didn’t have an investigation.
There were other places and other times.

Michael Bahrs

I never heard about the result from Canada police, but that doesn’t mean… Maybe they make the biggest arrestings all over the world, but I never heard about this.
Yeah, I think this is a global problem.
For example, if I start an investigation or we start an investigation in Germany, I try to explain that we have different laws in other countries and
The problem is when we need help from other countries.
They have their own list what is important for them.
A good example for me is ask the public outside what should the police investigate.
Ask 100 people should the police work against bugglers or match fixers.
100 for 100 will give you the answer.

Declan Hill

Burglary, yeah.
Or drugs, or murder, or rape, or yes, yeah.

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, because they think they know what happens behind, but nobody knows what happens behind match fixing.

Declan Hill

So why should police deal against match fixing?
Let’s answer that question.
Why should they do that?
Why should they fight against match fixing?

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, because it’s organized crime.
That means the criminals are shooting each other.
They are shooting against other people.
I tell you about the guy who gave the pass to lead the game 1-0 and I listened what happened.
He was crying at the wiretapping and he never will come out of this circle.
but I want to explain how difficult it is sometimes when I give evidence to other countries that means it took a long time if you will get back an answer or if they start their own investigation or if maybe the prosecutor tells me okay we have enough to do at the moment we will make it on point 16 and so on
But the good thing is, I only want to criticize everything.
This is not what I want to do.
In Europe, there’s a solution at Europol, for example.
It’s called JIT, Joint Investigation Team.
That means you make a contract between different European countries and then the letter of rogatory is very easy to handle.
That means you can change the information
by sending emails or if we do this in our country.
This is very easy and this is absolutely helpful and this is a step forward how we can solve this problem but it is like in every time it is it depends how motivated are the other guys.

Declan Hill

Backtrack and tell a little bit of a story.
One is that your colleagues in Spain and Belgium fought against the Armenian mafia, the Vor y zakone, the Russian mafia.
You know this story, I’m just making sure our listeners know, who were match fixing in tennis in a major, major way and in handball and in basketball and in soccer, of course.
And they put together what you’re recommending, Michael, which was a joint force, task force,
in 14 different countries across Europe and on one morning at 5 30 in the morning European time 14 different police agencies went through the door at the same time smashing in the door getting those guys and putting those guys away.
Now that trial is still ongoing in both Madrid and Brussels and we’re following that here at Crimewaves very very closely and we’ll have some of those guys on to talk about their work.
I’d also just Michael before I get on to our next you’re such an interesting guy there’s so many things to talk about but I did want to say as a Canadian now living in America who knows match fixing I can assure you there has never been a single arrest for match fixing in Canadian soccer.
and the Canadian Soccer League was so bad for match fixing, Michael, that a couple of years ago there was a game in the Niagara Peninsula and the Niagara Peninsula is kind of a little small area just outside Toronto and the Canadian-based team was playing against a foreign-based team and a lot of the foreigners were coming in from the Balkans in this particular team and they were working for this fixing gang and it was so obvious that they were fixing the Canadian guys who weren’t very good just said
Excuse my language, screw this.
We’re gonna fix the fix.
We’re gonna score on our own goal.
So they take the ball, they turn around from attacking the other guys, and they start running towards their own goal to score on their own goal.
Well, the Balkan guys, the Croatians, the Serbians, the Bosnians, they go, whoa, man, if they score on their own goal, it screws up our fix.
They start running down the field,
and try to stop the other team from scoring in their own goal and then they grab the ball and they start running towards their own goal to score on their goal.
So for the last 20 minutes of the game, Michael, the fixing is so bad in the, or was, so bad in the Canadian Soccer League that you had these two teams.

Michael Bahrs

One thing about that, what I ask myself and I ask myself why no more or only me, German fixers, well-known fixers told me about games, suspicious games or manipulated games in Canada.
So who or what is the link from Germany to Canada?
And they told me that German fixers also went to Canada to fix games.
and this is absolutely crazy.
Only one sentence to the work together.
The difficulty that arises is that of course you have to look carefully with whom you can work together across national borders also because organized crime means
that there are high-ranked people inside this business.
Politicians, police officers, prosecutors and so on.
So this is also a difficult to work.

Declan Hill

I remember I was talking to one guy who was building up a match fixing case that had links to Turkey.
So he sent the information, not he, but his office sent the information to Istanbul and within two days it appeared on the newspapers
in all over Istanbul.
So therefore completely ruining the investigation.
So some corrupt police officer inside the Turkish police leaked it to the media so he could tip off his criminal friends.

Michael Bahrs

We have the same problem in our case.
That means I write a report
and the original report was in a big big Turkish newspaper the original report from me so I asked myself how goes this through Turkey and and how yeah

Declan Hill

How can you trust the safety of your sources?
How can you do that?
I’m just asking this because the producer is asking me to this.
He’s an American, a brilliant student here at the University of New Haven.
He wants to know if you’ve ever worked with the FBI, the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Have they ever come over and asked for information from you guys about match fixing here in America?

Michael Bahrs

I worked with the FBI together at one time and we or I gave my evidence to them it was yeah we do

Declan Hill

And again, our viewers can’t see Michael’s face.
Michael has a very friendly open face for a tough guy.
But when he doesn’t want me to ask any more questions in that particular thing, there’s this wall that comes up.
And so I take that.
The appearance of your wall is that you don’t want me to ask any more questions about the FBI in which case or anything like that.

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, because this is against my law and I can’t give you such information, of course.

Declan Hill

Okay, fair play.
If you don’t mind, let’s take a step back.
We’re having a conversation with you in your private office, and Michael Bars is a tough guy.
There’s a big punch bag just behind your back.
They say that you’re the Donnie Brasco of Germany.
How did you get to become an organized crime police officer?
Are you the only one in your family or is all your family cops?
What’s your background?

Michael Bahrs

I come from a police family.
My father, my brother, my uncle are also police officers.
My wife is also a police officer.

Declan Hill

A professional football player or a police officer?

Michael Bahrs

I’m too bad for a professional football player so there’s only one chance to grow up with and now my dream is to be a police officer and I want to catch criminals so I start working after my education in police, in a normal police car, in uniform.

Declan Hill

Did that come from your dad when you were growing up, your father was telling you these stories?

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, I grew up by my grandparents.
So I think I have all the freedom at home, but they try to teach me what is justice.
And of course, I’m not right at every moment in my life.
I do a lot of mistakes.
but I think I want to help not so strong people and yeah so for me it was clear I will be a police officer and I started in a normal police car wearing a uniform it was also great but my target was to fight against the biggest criminals and yeah step by step after I had in my police life I had to fight against witnesses because
I am like I am.

Declan Hill

That means… Sorry, you had to fight against against windmills?

Michael Bahrs

Yeah.

Declan Hill

So you’re like Don Quixote, in other words.
You’re fighting for your ideals.

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, right.
It sounds crazy if someone is talking about himself and said, OK, I tried to fight against windmills.
That sounds crazy.
But it is like it is.
That means I have an idea.
I will or my
I
Declan Hill

And every police officer, undercover, overcover, uniformed, always tells me about those agendas and all those problems inside police forces all over the world.
But your goal, Michael, from when you put on the uniform as a German police officer, was to fight organized crime.

Michael Bahrs

No, as I wear a uniform, I’m normally in a police car working on the street.
But your ambition is… Yes, of course, of course.
That was my motivation to do that at one time.
and now I think I’m 30 years a police officer and since 20 years I’m working in an organized crime unit.

Declan Hill

Now, there are different organized crime gangs and groups in Germany than there are here in America, but what’s the worst one?
What’s the most powerful organized crime group in Germany?

Michael Bahrs

I don’t know if you can make a rank.
I think if we ask the criminals, they always have big problems to talk about the Russian guys.
They fear the Russian guys.

Declan Hill

Because they’re so violent.
The Russian mafia is so violent.

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, that’s true.
We have extensive legal proceedings against the headshot gang, the so-called headshot gang.
That means we fight against the Russian mafia gang.
They killed seven people.

Declan Hill

And so on and we find out in… Sorry, why did the headshot gang, why did they kill these seven people?

Michael Bahrs

They are also drug dealers and the violent people hasn’t worked like they want and this means the life is over.
yes and this is what this is what i mean we we have also in the in the match fixing case we have links to russians but but our guys who i i do my my um interrogation alone because i i have a special uh level to to the criminals and they they they really told me a lot of things but if we focus on russians they say hey
I tell you everything, but not against Russians.
So this is very special.

Declan Hill

Because the organized crime guys in Germany are so scared of the Russians, they’ll give up anybody else, but they’re not going to give up the Russians.

Michael Bahrs

Yeah.

Declan Hill

Wow. Hey, listen, before we get back to match fixing, just a question, and I hope it’s not too invasive, but. Is it easier that your wife is a police officer with all the stress?
You know, you’re fighting against these guys, you’re doing these raids, you’re doing these hardcore investigations. Is it easier that your wife is also a police officer because she understands it or is it more difficult because it’s like two people without stress in the same room?

Michael Bahrs

Okay, you all also have asked to ask her in my eyes but yeah I think it’s hard to live with me together I think because I’m a little bit crazy
I’m 24-7 police officer and you can call me up 24-7 but we are married more than 25 years so I think the connection is very good and I think for me it is an absolute advantage because she knows what happens and if I said to her okay
I come home later and much later she knows what happened and this is a big advantage.

Declan Hill

It’s not as if she’s outside the cops and you have to explain to her but you can’t explain too much. Yes, I remember meeting Donnie Brasco and his wife and that feeling of this being one team, two people, one team and that understanding going on.
Let’s get back to match fixing and then we’ll wrap up this interview, but please Michael, I know the listeners really want you to come back and talk about other cases against the Russians and this, but I know today we’ve got to focus on match fixing.
If there was one way of stopping match fixing from going on in European sport, what would you say it is?
How would you stop it?

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, I think there are a lot of possibilities to reduce.
You never will stop it because it’s a criminal phenomenon like other things.
You never will stop drug dealing all over the world.
But you can reduce it if you want and this is the reason why we don’t stop it at the moment because I think nobody’s really focusing on it.
What I would do is first, you have the football association.
The football associations are the first guys who have to do their homework.
That means the youth players, for example.
They have to educate in match fixing.
They have to know what is match fixing.
You have to build up some confidential guys in a team because if someone of the mafia
goes to a youth player and says, hey, let us work together.
And they don’t do it wearing a black suit with sunglasses on and a suitcase full of money.
They are normal things, how they get in contact with them.
Then the youth players, for example, become a feeling what is right, what is wrong.
And when they will be asked about someone from the mafia, they need someone who can explain what happened.
if they go to whom they should go and this is one point then betting betting is not illegal and if i said okay betting and sport is is not such a good connection everyone will shout at me because they say okay betting is not legal what are you telling us but it’s the same i have a daughter and if…. Look,
I see a lot of well-known football players.
They make advertising for betting companies.
But I never see one football player who makes advertising against match fixing.
So I can’t understand this.

Declan Hill

What I’m going to ask the producers to do, that’s my amazing students this term, that’s Ryan Decker and Aidan Van Battenberg, I’m going to ask them to make a short telegram of this last two minutes.
Because here in America, they’ve just legalized sports gambling.
And state by state, they’re declaring this.
And there’s zero, zero conversation about match fixing.
There’s zero conversation about gambling addiction.
And I’m like you, I think sports gambling should be legal, but people should be educated about how dangerous it is.

Michael Bahrs

Yes, of course.
And the thing is, it is illegal to place bets if you are under 18 years.
But I found out that every youth player, 14, 15, 16, plays bets a lot of times.
They addicted sometimes.
It is unbelievable, and this is what I don’t like, if you tell this to the Football Association.
The Football Association said, OK, what should we do?
We are no investigators.
And I said to them, that is wrong.
You have the sport laws.
I am for the normal law.
But you have the sports law and you have to do your homework with that.
You can report a football player.
Have you done this?
And he said no.
And you say okay.
Then it’s over.
Or you go deep inside this case.
You make questions in this club.
You ask the trainer, the coach, you ask the other people.
And they don’t do it.
Because they don’t want a big scandal.

Declan Hill

And I think that, again, you can’t, listeners, you can’t see my face, but I am nodding so hard I’m going to, I’m going to injure my vertebrae here.
Gambling addiction is the silent plague of modern day athletes.
So many of the young athletes, be it in basketball, be it here in America, are gaming and gambling addicts.
And that’s the first step into match fixing.
Listen, Michael, we’re almost out of time.
I really want to thank you for, first of all, your work.
It’s amazing.
You and what I call the Bochum Gang, that’s my joke, you know, the anti-match fixing investigators in Germany, have done an amazing job.
Thank you for your time today.
Please, I know myself and the listeners would love if you would come back and talk some more.

Michael Bahrs

yeah thank you so much that you give me the chance to to to give you an overview what really happened and i’m so proud to be here and if you have another podcast let me know i’m there thank you so much dankeschön guten abend and we’re going to make sure listeners please if you got any german or you want to go through with google translate we’re going to put a link to

Declan Hill

Michael Barr’s book, that’s B-A-H-R-S, Michael Barr’s book.
We’ll bring that in and we’ll link it up and stuff.
It’s a fantastic book.
It really uncovers all the stuff that was going on.
Thank you again, Michael.

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, thanks a lot.
And one question or one sentence, if the audience has some questions, they can contact me
via my homepage. I will answer all the questions if they like.

Declan Hill

And Michael, can you tell them your webpage?
That’s matchfixingweb.de?

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, it’s www.matchfixing.de.
That’s right.

Declan Hill

And for any of the idiots who are out there, and there’s very, very few of our listeners, 99% of my listeners are geniuses and brilliant and love this program.
But for the 1% idiots, because I too get these guys on my Twitter feed, this is not tips on how to match fix, nor on games that you should bet on that are match fixed.
This is how we stop match fixing, right, Michael?

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, that’s right.
I’m not the 1%.

Declan Hill

Thank you again. Thanks again, Michael.

Michael Bahrs

Yeah, thank you, Declan.

Declan Hill

Hey, this is Declan Hill. We wrapped up that interview with Michael Bars and then, as happens frequently, the team began chatting and Michael started another story.
We think you should hear it. It’s about the Russian mafia and how they actually operate.

Michael Bahrs

If you are interested, one minute, I could give you one thing that really happened.
One of those headshot gang, he drives to the Netherlands because his plan was to shoot three guys and they go into the house and they let him in and then they have to go on their knees and they shoot them in the head. All the three guys uh then then he leaves the house step into the car start the car and then a police car drives because his backlight was damaged and the officers go out this car and said hey police give us your license driving license and so on uh leave the car you have a damaged backlight and so on and and his his gun uh was smoking and uh
uh and the guys the police said okay thank you make it clear goodbye if they do more than this those guys will be killed

Declan Hill
Thank you so much for listening.
This is Crime Waves.
My name is Declan Hill.
The production team this week is Ryan Decker and Aidan Van Battenberg.
And please do come back next week for another episode of Bloodsport.
That’s the season that we’re doing about crime and corruption in modern day sports.