Contradictheory: The beautiful game is big business

Egypt's Mohamed Salah (10) talks with referee Francois Letexier, of France, during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Argentina and Egypt in Atlanta, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

Malaysians were excited to see actor Mark Wahlberg in Penang in the middle of July 2026. In between filming scenes at City Stadium and Batu Kawan Stadium, the actor was also spotted seemingly casually lepak-ing at a mamak shop, which many locals seemed even more excited about.

Yet I wondered how many people realised he was in town filming The Big Fix, a movie based on the true story of Chris Eaton, the former FIFA security chief who helped expose a global football match-fixing network.