He must have thought I was a loony, because I just stared at him, trying to comprehend what he was asking. That was that. An approach was made and, when no interest - or even understanding - was shown, they moved on. We were aware of two major syndicates which competed against each other to buy players and, at times, both paid players in the same team - one to win, the other to lose. One of the syndicates was known for using the national lottery to pay their lackeys, through the following method: the syndicate would buy a winning lottery ticket from the lucky recipient for 110¢ for every dollar. They then used the ticket to pay the cheating player, who simply cashed it in. Simple, clean and untraceable. We knew of a player in the league who had ''won'' the lotto at least three times. He must have been the luckiest guy around, or the crookest. We also knew of players who had their legs broken after failing to throw a game or wanting out of the racket. In Hong Kong the following year, I saw a different side of the game, the association with organised crime. There was one man who was always at training, a mate to the players and seemingly a nice guy. I noticed he had a distinctive tattoo on his arm but thought nothing of it. Following a successful cup run, though, this gentleman invited us to the Macau casino, into his own private room. Cognac and karaoke galore, until we were all silenced by a minder as two guards brought a very scared looking fellow into the room. They were struggling to hold him as he wriggled to break free.

The room host yelled and screamed at him, before pulling out a switchblade as the guards grabbed the guy's hand and held it forward. A cut was made from his forefinger to the base of the palm, to much screaming and blood. He was then thrown out of the room. Turned out he owed money to the host, a money lender who had his runners on the casino floor. This is what happened - the first step anyway - if payment was not forthcoming. Needless to say, while the local boys already understood who he was, my night was brought to an abrupt end and I'm happy to have never laid eyes on this gentleman again. Singapore and Malaysia was, otherwise, a wonderful place to play for many Australian professionals, including plenty of Socceroos who, like me, thoroughly enjoyed integrating into a new culture. It provided a beautiful perspective on the people and the region that leaves a lifelong passion and empathy. We also knew of players who had their legs broken after failing to throw a game or wanting out of the racket. To this day, my affection for Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and other Asian football nations is undiminished, but many have a problem with gambling on football and the buying of players, referees and games. They're far from alone. Like chum in the water, cash attracts the sharks. In football there is money. Lots of it.

But there's plenty more besides. Kudos, political gravity, influence, fame, excitement, everything that is attractive to all walks of life, whether ethical or otherwise. Talking about corruption, racism or any other of the issues we face in the world game must always be prefaced, at least in a country that has only recently fallen in love with the game, with the caveat that, as the world's most popular sport, we possess both the best and worst of mankind. Loading Dutchman Edgar Davids said this week football is a ''microscope to the world''. He's absolutely right. Without having travelled and experienced everything the game has to offer, and seen first-hand the incredible scale of football, this can be difficult to digest for those with a singular picture of how sport should be played. Football is played by the world and, just as in any other walk of life, the diversity reflects this. For those of us who love the game, any stories of corruption and stains on its integrity are painful to take as even we struggle to understand why people use the game for nefarious purposes, but whether it is the cause of racism, which has been at the forefront recently, or match-fixing, the vaccine can only be administered once the wound has been opened and bled dry.