February 19 – The AFC Asian Cup 2015 that ended at the end of January with a home win for Australia has been hailed as a success in the battle against betting related match-fixing, with the AFC announcing that there was no evidence of match manipulation uncovered at the tournament.
A number of AFC member associations have had significant problems with match-fixing in their domestic leagues, so for the tournament to have been played without incident is a significant step forward for the region.
For the first time the AFC implemented an Integrity Action Plan built around awareness-raising and training of players, team officials and match officials, and monitoring of the matches and online betting patterns via Sportradar’s Fraud Detection System.
The AFC operated its confidential whistle-blower line for the confidential reporting of suspicious-activity as well as using Australian Crime Stoppers programme. The AFC and the Australian law enforcement authorities went a step further by setting up collaborative incident response procedures to ensure suspected crimes could be rapidly and effectively investigated.
AFC General Secretary Dato’ Alex Soosay said: “It is extremely encouraging to see that the detailed integrity planning and collaboration for our premier tournament was a success. This would not have been possible without the support and focused efforts of each stakeholder and in particular Australian law enforcement and Sportradar, who worked hand-in hand with AFC’s Integrity Unit throughout the tournament.”
“The effective implementation of this action plan could be a blue-print for other Asian sporting events and sports governing bodies. Continued efforts will be made to ensure a similar outcome for future AFC competitions. Upholding the integrity of all our competitions remains a key priority for AFC.”
Football Federation Australia CEO David Gallop emphasised the importance of co-operation between stakeholders saying: “FFA welcomed the AFC’s proactive approach which demonstrates that planning, information exchange and cooperation among all stakeholders are critical to combating match-fixing. The Asian Cup overall was a great success for football in Australia and the Asian region with record crowds and TV audiences. The integrity of such major tournaments is integral to the popularity and growth of football.”
Training the detectives
Last week Sportradar Security Services rolled out its new ‘Law Enforcement Training’ all day module to four different groups of police and public prosecutors from across Europe.
The new service provides public and police authorities with a new opportunity to drill down into the global betting markets and operators, the history and evolution of match-fixing, the key challenges today and going forward. Many law enforcement agencies, police forces and public prosecutors are being asked to work in this area, without the requisite level of understanding and expertise. The Sportradar module provides a set of tools enabling them to spot concerns, understand dangers and act swiftly to resolve incidents.
Sportradar’s Managing Director Integrity and Strategy Andreas Krannich said: “Match-fixing is an issue for sport and an issue for society. Those are not ‘either-or’ statements. They are fact. Organised crime has taken a keen interest in executing fixes and they show no signs of letting up. Today, law enforcement agencies and prosecutors are being asked to get to grips with this issue and all its intricacies… It is encouraging to see that in the wake of the Council of Europe Convention, public authorities are coming forward and looking to take on more responsibility. We look forward to working with more police forces, more law enforcement agencies and more public prosecutors’ offices in the coming year and beyond.”
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