Beware who you send messages to during the match....

[stripeyfox]

I've seen this twice near me recently. One guy was obviously using some app to transmit match data, but the other one appeared more "innocent". Thoughts? The link to Daniel Mawer's tweet in the article below is quite interesting...

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49312316

 

The English Football League has apologised to a Hull City fan who claimed he was asked to stop texting or face ejection from a game.

Daniel Mawer tweeted a lengthy thread after Hull's win against Reading on Saturday after an "undercover security guard" approached him at half-time.

He was spoken to as part of spot checks into unauthorised data gathering at EFL matches.

Mawer, 28, told BBC Sport he was "shocked" by the initial approach.

Hull City are now liaising with both Mawer, the club's own security company Superstadium Management and Comsec, a company hired by Football Data Co to monitor the collection and distribution of official match data.

"The Comsec scout spotting programme is managed by Football Data Co in collaboration with the league and its clubs," said an EFL spokesman.

"Access is provided at matches for Comsec representatives to operate and identify potential infringements. 

"On initial review of this particular incident all procedures and protocols were followed, but clearly there is still some work to be done to ensure these checks are conducted appropriately and sensitively.

"It's never the intention to offend and for that Football Data Co and the League offer its apologies to the supporter affected by this random spot check."

In a statement, Hull City also said they would investigate how the check was handled and how the scout spotting programme could be improved at the KCOM Stadium.

Unauthorised data gathering - or 'courtsiding' as it is known in other sports - is the practice of transmitting information from sporting events for the purpose of gambling or of placing bets directly from a sporting event.

Daniel's experience was widely shared on social media, including by Match of the Day Presenter Gary Lineker on Saturday, who tweeted: "This is nuts."

"I've had quite a lot of messages of support since it happened," said the Hull season ticket holder. "I feel it's something that needed highlighting as I wasn't sure how widespread these checks are.

"I was just texting a few friends and relatives who can't make it to games these days, just the odd update on how the game was going.

"I was mainly telling my girlfriend what I thought of Hull forward Tom Eaves' haircut."

The Football Supporters' Association were among those to tweet support to Daniel.

"It's not that people are being asked at grounds about potential suspicious activity; it's how they're being approached that concerns us," director of case work Amanda Jacks told BBC Sport.

"It's also a bit disappointing Hull's response doesn't included the word 'alleged' when speaking about Daniel's experience.

"We understand people have a job to do and some people unfortunately do go to games with the intention of manipulating betting markets. 

"But we believe this is a very small minority of the hundreds of thousands who attend matches across the country every weekend."

 

 

 

[purpleronnie]

Quote

I was mainly telling my girlfriend what I thought of Hull forward Tom Eaves' haircut."

Always wondered what people were doing on their phones during the game, i'm relieved as I always thought it would be something trivial.

[Gerard]

Little know fact - I actually invented courtsiding. 

 

I was doing it on tennis from 2003 and I was the first one ever as far as I'm aware. 

[stripeyfox]

2 minutes ago, purpleronnie said:

Always wondered what people were doing on their phones during the game, i'm relieved as I always thought it would be something trivial.

Mine is usually answering the missus texts like :

 

"why didn't you empty the dishwasher you knob head" 

 

Or "the outside tap is pissing water all over the garden because you didn't isolate it before the frost" *possibly not based on a real world example 

 

Or "don't get to pissed at the football" 

[Nalis]

My phone reception is usually so shit in the stadium that any messages are usually only delivered about 10 minutes after I hit send.

 

As an aside, How To Beat The Bookies is worth a watch on bbc iplayer, covers someone courtsiding in the states.

[pazzerfox]

55 minutes ago, Gerard said:

Little know fact - I actually invented courtsiding. 

 

I was doing it on tennis from 2003 and I was the first one ever as far as I'm aware. 

Did you make much from it?

[Bezzanator89]

Couldn't get any signal inside that stadium at HT/FT if I tried. Do check other scores during the half sometimes so guilty as charged, here's my phone. Don't look at my internet history.

[Gerard]

32 minutes ago, pazzerfox said:

Did you make much from it?

 

About £30k a week on average at the start and then more in the peak years. I stopped doing it about three/four years a go as courtsiders can't hide in tennis like they can in football. 

 

I did part of the recent cricket world cup as well. 

[Izzy]

1 hour ago, Gerard said:

Little know fact - I actually invented courtsiding. 

 

I was doing it on tennis from 2003 and I was the first one ever as far as I'm aware. 

Still driving your Lamborghini mate?

[Gerard]

Just now, Izzy said:

Still driving your Lamborghini mate?

 

It was a Maserati actually, I only realised this was you a couple of weeks a go. 

[pazzerfox]

19 minutes ago, Gerard said:

 

About £30k a week on average at the start and then more in the peak years. I stopped doing it about three/four years a go as courtsiders can't hide in tennis like they can in footbalI did part of the recent cricket world cup as well. 

How did you keep your accounts open?

[Gerard]

17 minutes ago, pazzerfox said:

How did you keep your accounts open?

 

I done everything on Betfair.

[Bayfox]

Why does anyone need to send messages during a football game.

 

Asking for a fri...... my own intrigue 

[Out Foxed]

18 hours ago, Gerard said:

Little know fact - I actually invented courtsiding. 

 

I was doing it on tennis from 2003 and I was the first one ever as far as I'm aware. 

no you didn't

[Babylon]

22 hours ago, Gerard said:

 

About £30k a week on average at the start and then more in the peak years. I stopped doing it about three/four years a go as courtsiders can't hide in tennis like they can in football. 

 

I did part of the recent cricket world cup as well. 

Why you always moaning about money, you must be wiping your arse with £50 notes!!! 

[foxinsocks]

Because the info provided after the var verdict. .... it was necessary to text friends to ask why the decision was made.  

Putting up NO GOAL is not very informative

[Stadt]

I'll have to find some other way to communicate with the Al Qaeda higher ups, fuming 

[Guy]

I wish I could even get a signal at King Power when I attend it about five times a season! I still haven't been able to 'Shazam' a tune that always plays at the end of the final whistle over the past few months that everyone seems to know but because of no signal I'm damned if I can name the tune via Shazam cheating! 

[psychonaut]

Courtsiding is run by Chinese syndicates now. Little discreet click buttons in your sleeve. You can spot the signals on betfair if you trade regularly. I’d say the bigger issue is how entirely corrupt the lower tier of tennis is. Its rife and beyond anything you could imagine. The press also know all about it but on the whole are kept quiet.