FIFA, the top football body, has partnered with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to launch an initiative that aims to combat match-fixing around the world.
FIFA’s Global Integrity Program was designed to improve education and develop the capacity to protect sport in all 211 member associations of the organization, sharing knowledge and resources.
According to FIFA, the objective is to establish sustainable integrity and anti-corruption measures at the local level, so that each of its confederations benefits from a series of virtual workshops focused on the integrity of football.
“Match manipulation is a very real issue and threatens the integrity and credibility of football in many countries around the world,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Infantino added: “Working closely with UNODC experts and in conjunction with other efforts that FIFA is undertaking, the Global Integrity Program is another important step for FIFA to protect football. And, it will have an important role in the education and training of the federations to help combat the match-fixing of results at the local level ”.
To support the program, FIFA will also launch the “Integrity Officers Community Platform”, an online platform aimed at the community and integrity officers in all associations and confederations around the world.
In addition, FIFA explained that the platform will bring together a global network of integrity officials to exchange their experiences and share best practices related to preventing, combating match-fixing and defending football.
FIFA wants to encourage players and officials to report attempts of match-fixing.
The launch of the global program comes after the sports body and UNODC, in December last year, announced plans for a new campaign encouraging the football industry to speak out about match-fixing.
The partnership focuses on FIFA’s confidential reporting platforms, with the aim of encouraging players, coaches and officials to alert, resist and report any attempt at corruption or combination of results.
