The story of the British betting scandal of 1964, uncovered by journalist Mike Gabbert which saw a number of British professional footballers were jailed and banned from football for life for conspiring to fix the results of matches. Prominent among those jailed and banned were the Sheffield Wednesday F.C. stars Peter Swan, Tony Kay and David Layne.
Acting
Coogan plays straight, Isaacs simmers with ruined pride.
Direction
Early Greengrass: documentary grit before Hollywood came calling.
Director
Paul Greengrass
Steve Coogan
Mike Gabbert
Jason Isaacs
Tony Kay
Maggie O'Neill
Marina Kay
Michael Elphick
Peter Campling
Colin Welland
Harry Catterick
Ricky Tomlinson
Gordon
Christopher Fulford
Jimmy Gauld
Chris Walker
David 'Bronco' Layne
Michael Byrne
Sam Campbell
George Sewell
Chairman
Tony Pitts
Peter Swan
John Forgeham
Alan Hardaker
Garry Cooper
Skipper
Nicholas Lane
Herbie Cresswell
Lisa Millett
Sheila Cresswell
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Peter Swan maintained his innocence until his death in 2021, never accepting the guilty verdict that ended his England career at 26.
This scandal directly led to the abolition of the maximum £20/week wage for footballers in 1968—ironically, corruption helped players get paid properly.
GB
