A study by Starlizard Integrity Services (SIS) – the specialist integrity division of the sports betting consultancy – showed that the numbers remained the same over the past two years. In addition, it was noticed that the main leagues and international games, especially in Europe, are more threatened. Therefore, the authorities need to respond quickly and effectively to combat the manipulation of results.
Lawyer Udo Seckelmann, a specialist in international sports law, stressed that match-fixing is something very complex. “Without prejudice, I think that there are ways for the sport to mitigate the risks of manipulation. The first one would be the implementation of preventive measures, which would basically be the creation of integrity and education programs for the participants of sporting events capable of influencing results”, he told the website Leia em Campo.
“The vast majority of such participants are unaware of what is allowed and prohibited in relation to their involvement in sports betting and what would be the consequences of such conduct – both in the sports disciplinary scope and in the criminal sphere. Considering that part of these participants will inevitably be approached by recruiters who aim to manipulate results at some point in their career, it is essential that they are aware of the regulations and legislation on the subject”, he explained.
Paulo Schmitt, a lawyer specializing in sports law, president of the Integrity Committee of the São Paulo Football Federation (FPF) and of the COB’s Fair Play Defense Committee, argued that teams need to work more on the integrity agenda.
“Sport has to protect itself. Sports organizations have to take the issue of integrity seriously, putting it on the agenda in their internal programs and on three pillars: adequacy of norms, education and repression. Matches, competitions or the like must be monitored and the reports resulting from this control must serve as a basis for filing complaints in sports courts”, he emphasized.
Schmitt also highlighted that educational actions must be continuous and involve all participants in sporting events. “Educational activities must be part of a permanent agenda; The first information on topics related to integrity such as manipulation, fraud, doping, abuse and harassment, prejudice must come from the ‘good side’. We need to get there sooner, otherwise it will be criminals, recruiters, manipulators, harassers who surround and dominate the scene”, he suggested.
Data on match-fixing in football
SIS found 84 suspected manipulation games worldwide in the first six months of this year. The amount corresponds to 0.45% of a total of 18845 football matches evaluated by the group in the period. SIS describes an event as ‘suspicious’ when it finds abnormal betting patterns linked to them that could be indicative of match-fixing.
Of these 84 games, 26 (31%) of them took place in high-level tournaments, 12 (14%) in international matches and only 5 in non-competitive friendlies. According to the head of SIS, Affy Sheikh, these statistics show the need to use measures to prevent and minimize these irregularities.
“These statistics provide insight into the extent of suspected match-fixing in football and underscore the need for greater diligence in combating the ever-present threat of match-fixing in sport. The rate of suspected match manipulation in football in the first half of this year is consistent with that of the previous two years,” he said.
These 84 games classified as ‘suspected of manipulation’ took place in 30 different countries, most of them in Europe. In all, 41 matches (49%) were played in the UEFA region and 21 (25%) in the CAF (Asian Football Confederation) region.
“It is deeply concerning to see high-profile domestic competition standing out among these suspicious matches, which perhaps dispels the common misconception that match manipulation tends to only occur in the minor leagues. This latest data serves as a reminder that a committed and concerted effort needs to be made if we are to make a tangible impact on the match-fixing problem,” concluded Sheikh.
