By Mark Baber
September 27 – FIFA and INTERPOL have launched a series of e-learning programmes aimed at educating players, coaches and referees on the dangers of match-fixing which it is hoped will help them avoid becoming victims of match-fixing attempts.
The online programmes, specifically devised for each group targeted by the match-fixers, offer an interactive guide on how to recognise, resist and report attempts at match-fixing.
The e-learning modules use quizzes, games and audio-visual elements to emphasise the key messages and are designed to be used by FIFA’s member associations as part of their existing integrity training, or as standalone training programmes.
FIFA Security Director Ralf Mutschke (pictured) said: “FIFA and INTERPOL are placing huge importance on combating match manipulation as it continues to threaten the integrity of football.
“One of the keys to success is raising awareness within the football community and providing educational tools for the people most at risk of being influenced by match-fixers. For the first time, football has a widely accessible resource that presents match manipulation-related issues in a practical, targeted and visually stimulating way.”
Michaela Ragg, assistant director of INTERPOL’s Integrity in Sport unit said: “With the launch of our comprehensive e-learning modules, the football community now has a tool to help protect the sport against threats posed by organised criminal networks which seek to make an illegal profit through match manipulation
“By educating the players, coaches and referees who are at high risk of being coerced into fixing a match, we hope the e-learning programmes will equip them with the knowledge and ability to resist these approaches and protect the integrity of the sport,” she concluded.
The new programmes are fruit of the ten-year FIFA and Interpol joint initiative agreed in May 2011 to enhance global efforts to tackle match manipulation and corruption in the sport and are available in Arabic, English, French, Spanish and German on both the FIFA and Interpol websites.
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