July 16- The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), the Qatar-based sports integrity watchdog, has delivered the first in a series of match-fixing workshops to young players in Africa.
African players have become increasingly susceptible as victims of Asian-based gangs that deliberately target vulnerable lower-paid footballers.
Stuart Page, ICSS Director, Strategy and Policy Development (Anti-Corruption/Transparency) and Jake Marsh, Investigator at the ICSS, led a three-day programme in Tanzania that included the Tanzanian Football Federation (TFF), Symbion /Sunderland AFC Project – Africa’s first privately-owned football academy – and the Tanzania Street Children’s Sports Academy.
Players attending the seminars learnt about a range of topics, including how match-fixers approach and groom young players, methods to help recognise, resist and report an approach, as well as being warned about the consequences of match-fixing.
“Education and prevention is central to the ICSS’s work to eradicate match-fixing and the athlete is at the very heart of this strategy,” said Page. “Targeting young players, especially those in Africa which has had many match-fixing cases emerge over the last few years, will help more players in the future recognise, resist and report approaches by match-fixers.
“During our visit, we have been overwhelmed by the response of the players and coaches that have been part of this programme to warn young people about match-fixing. Their enthusiasm and understanding about the importance of their role in tackling this issue will hopefully encourage more clubs, federations and associations to deliver programmes like the one seen in Tanzania this week.”