It tells the story of the
British betting scandal of 1964, following which 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 gaoled and banned were the
Sheffield Wednesday F.C. stars
Peter Swan,
Tony Kay and
David Layne. The part of Mike Gabbert – the
Sunday People journalist who led the investigation into the scandal – was played by
Steve Coogan.
Jason Isaacs played the part of Tony Kay, through whose eyes the story is largely told, while the part of
Jimmy Gauld – the ex-footballer who masterminded the betting ring – was played by
Christopher Fulford. The story centres on Gabbert building his exclusive during the latter stages of the 1962/63 season, a time when Kay is becoming known as one of the best players in the game, having joined
Everton, with whom he wins the League title. Although the film is based on fact, some details and characters were fictionalised. ==Cast==