 |
| [PHOTO: Special Arrangements] |
Rome: International efforts against corruption in football took a
significant step forward after the Secretaries General of INTERPOL, FIFA and
UEFA united for the first time against the danger posed by match-fixing which
generates billions in illegal betting.
Addressing the landmark international conference entitled
‘Match-fixing: The ugly side of the beautiful game’, INTERPOL Chief Ronald K.
Noble, FIFA’s Jérôme Valcke, Gianni Infantino from UEFA and the Chief of
Italian State Police, Antonio Manganelli, underlined how the footballing and
law enforcement worlds stand shoulder to shoulder in tackling match-fixing at
the national, regional and international levels.
“Match-fixing is about the money,” said the INTERPOL Chief.
“Illegal betting which drives match-fixing encompasses a market that is said to
be in the range of hundreds of billions of euros per year, with estimates that
the large bookmakers have revenues on the same scale as the Coca-Cola company.”
“Criminal organizations benefit from match-fixing both in
the profits it promises and in its ability to launder their ill-gotten gains
from other criminal activities. Match-fixing is clearly a many-headed dragon
that we must slay with a coordinated national and international effort,” said Noble, highlighting that this first European conference also brought
together the Secretaries General of INTERPOL, FIFA and UEFA for the first time
in history.
“Today, almost 300 million people play football in the
world. This extraordinary popularity gives FIFA responsibilities. One of them –
a major one – is to protect the integrity of the game. And this responsibility
is also a statutory objective of FIFA. Therefore, the fight against match
manipulation is a top priority for FIFA,” said Valcke.
“At our end, we have to ensure that we have appropriate
rules, that everything we do is transparent, that our decisions benefit our
sport and that everyone who cheats is punished. But FIFA cannot do it alone,
that is why we need strategic alliances with INTERPOL and the authorities and
moreover the support of the member associations who must work closely with
their national law enforcement agencies to send out together the powerful
signal of immutable commitment, progress and success against organized crime,”
added Valcke.
“We will continue to fight this cancer,” said UEFA Secretary
General Gianni Infantino.
“With our continued programme of education to players, match
officials and coaches, our sophisticated monitoring systems and our close links
with law enforcement agencies and state authorities, under no circumstances
will we surrender to match-fixers,” said Infantino.
“The Italian National Police is proud to host this first
European conference on match fixing which brings together the key players from
all sectors involved in this collective fight against the organized crime
networks which seek to profit from the beautiful game. The Italian police
remain committed to protecting football and all sport from corruption,” said
Prefect Antonio Manganelli, Head of the Italian National Police.
The conference comes under the auspices of INTERPOL’s
Integrity in Sport unit, as part of the joint INTERPOL/FIFA Training, Education
and Prevention initiative, and is in partnership with the Italian Ministry of
the Interior and UEFA.
Some 200 delegates from 50 countries have gathered in Rome
to discuss the threats posed to football by match-fixing and ways to further
improve its prevention and investigation. Delegates include officials from
international organizations including FIFPro, Sportaccord, national football
associations, national FA integrity officers, players and referee
representatives, betting organizations, gambling regulatory authorities and law
enforcement.
The conference will address current and anticipated future
trends in match-fixing, the adverse influence of the Asian betting markets and
organized crime on football, ways of enhancing good governance in the football
family, and the importance of protecting players and initiatives in training,
education, prevention and investigation.