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The family of former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly would be worth millions if they received royalties on the wise old Scot's most famous expression.

 His comment that 'football is not about life and death - it's more than that' has been quoted, misquoted and plagiarised on countless occasions.

 Sadly, for reasons that Shankly never imagined, it's truer today than ever before, and not just in football.

 A plague of illegal sports gambling is sweeping across Asia and pervading football, horse racing, snooker and even tennis. Illicit betting on these sports is not new, but it has reached an extremely dangerous level in the region. And, with an increasing number of people looking for a quick fix to their financial woes, the gambling syndicates are raking it in.

 In Hong Kong, several international footballers are on trial for match-fixing in relation to the Thailand v Hong Kong World Cup qualifier in 1997.

 One player has already served time and is now giving evidence against the others in the highest profile court case ever.

 A report last week said that under-the-table wagering on football and horse racing in Hong Kong was a billion-dollar industry and, with money like that involved, you can rest assured that a subculture of violence has evolved.

 Failed gamblers, and there is an assembly line of them due to the lure of big bucks, often find themselves in the grip of loansharks whose strong-arm tactics have forced more than a few suicides.

 In England, police are investigating floodlight failures at several grounds that may have conveniently caused matches to be cancelled. There is a theory that bookmakers in the region tried to fix matches by sabotaging the lights. Several people of Asian origin are being questioned and, if it's proved that gambling was behind the incidents, it will be a further indicator of the power that these gangs wield worldwide.

 In Thailand, there is a star snooker player whose career has been threatened by a crazed gambler.

 Home hero James Wattana faced a metaphoric life-or-death situation in the Thailand Masters last week. He knew that defeat in his second-round match would catapult him out of the world's top 16, bring his exempt status for ranking events to an end and cause the cancellation of the Bangkok tournament that had been built up around him over the last decade.

 Adding to this quandary, was the skill of Wattana's opponent - former world champion Ken Doherty.

 Wattana, who missed out on expected gold in last December's Asian Games in Bangkok, then saw the crucial tie turn into a real life-or-death situation when he received a call on his mobile phone threatening to kill him if he won.

 Now, Thais are big gamblers who wager on everything from cock-fighting to the fate of cockroaches crossing the road. Betting-associated contract killings, carried out for as little as US$10, are not uncommon.

 Wattana, whose father was killed in a gang-related incident, took the threat seriously but decided to go ahead with the match, even though his mother pleaded with him to pull out.

 Not surprisingly in such a situation, he lost 5-2 and he's now destined to return to the rigours of pre-qualifying for tournaments.

 The Thailand Masters is likely to be scrapped, with Hong Kong, whose Marco Fu is snooker's rising star, becoming the venue for next year's ranking event in Asia.

 After his defeat the evenly keeled Wattana managed a joke about the dark warning: 'What would have I done if he asked me to win?'  Nevertheless, it's sickening that he found himself well and truly snookered by big-time illegal gamblers. These syndicates must be rooted out before they take a tighter hold of sport, and sportsmen, through fear and greed.



Cynical gambling syndicates tighten grip on Asian sports