By David Gold
September 18 – UEFA President Michel Platini has reiterated his warning that football is in “mortal danger” as a result of the threat that match fixing poses, following an explosion of such cases this year.
Platini had made a similar claim last month, when he expressed serious concern for the future of the game.
Investigations into match fixing have taken place across the world in recent months, with scandals taking place in Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Finland, South Korea and most notably, Turkey.
International games have also been targeted by those looking to manipulate football matches, with several friendlies under investigation, which include games played by the likes of Argentina and Bulgaria.
At the end of UEFA’s first ever Integrity Officers’ workshop at the UEFA Headquarters in Nyon, Platini said: “Football, like most sporting disciplines, is in mortal danger.
“The very essence of our sport is based on the integrity of results, from school sport up to the World Cup. Obviously, the credibility of every competition is affected.
“Today, there is not a week that goes by without newspaper headlines which speak of a suspicion, an inquiry or an arrest linked to the integrity of our competitions.
“Nevertheless, I refuse to resign myself vis-à-vis this mortal danger, and I know that the entire football family is ready to counter-attack.”
UEFA’s Executive Committee earlier this year decided to set up a network of integrity officers across European football to counter the danger of match fixing across the continent.
The group will educate players, referees and coaches as well as exchanging information with UEFA to try and pre-empt potential match fixing.
UEFA is also giving money to its member associations to finance their integrity officers.
Most match fixing scandals this year have involved betting rings looking to make money through in game betting, and UEFA and FIFA are both battling hard to prevent such manipulation of matches.
Turkey’s match fixing scandal, conversely, was to do with the manipulation of the result of games, and its investigation has seen last season’s champions Fenerbahce kicked out of the Champions League as a result of UEFA pressure on the Turkish Football Federation.
Platini hopes that UEFA’s initiatives can help counter the scourge of match fixing.
“Sport’s justice authorities alone cannot confront this type of challenge with its own tools.
“In each country and national association, [integrity officers] are there to reinforce the links between football and its disciplinary authorities and the national and continental police and judicial instances.”
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