FIFA pledges $28M for match-fixing

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FIFA pledges $28M for match-fixing

ZURICH - FIFA has pledged to spend 20 million euros ($28 million) and forge closer ties with Interpol to crack down on the growing threat of match-fixing and betting fraud in football.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Monday it will fund anti-corruption programs over the next 10 years to educate players, referees and officials worldwide.

Blatter said match-fixing threatened fans’ faith in the sport.

“If they cannot believe any longer [in] football because matches are fixed, then in such a case FIFA would lose all credibility,’’ Bladder told reporters at a press conference.

The project - funded by the biggest private donation ever received by Interpol - will operate from the international agency’s new base in Singapore.

Singapore has emerged in recent months as a common link in match-fixing scandals, including international friendly matches set up purely for betting scams.

In one highly publicized case, a Feb. 9 double-header played in Antalya, Turkey, involving Latvia, Bolivia, Bulgaria and Estonia, saw all seven goals scored from penalty kicks. FIFA has subsequently charged six match officials from Hungary and Bosnia, but the organizer from Singapore has not been traced.

Blatter and Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble signed the agreement at FIFA headquarters in Zurich after meeting detectives leading ongoing probes in Finland and Germany.

Both organizations have limited investigative powers and must rely on governments and law enforcement agencies to pursue cases.

Blatter said FIFA’s decision to reach out for help marked a “historical day.’’

“It is crucial for us to go together with political authorities and police authorities to fight those that want to destroy our game,’’ the FIFA president said.

Noble said online betting and match-fixing offered a “perfect mix’’ for international organized crime syndicates.

“It’s high profit, a low risk of getting caught, with very low penalties,’’ Noble said. “Just about every instance that occurs in a match is the opportunity to make a huge amount of profits.’’


AP

한글 관련 기사 [연합]
FIFA, 인터폴과 손잡고 승부조작 근절에 총력
국제축구연맹(FIFA)이 국제형사경찰기구(인터폴)와 손잡고 앞으로 10년 동안 2천만 유로(312억원)을 투자해 승부조작 퇴치에 나서기로 했다.

FIFA는 10일(한국시간) 홈페이지를 통해 "제프 블래터 회장과 로널드 노블 인터폴 사무총장이 스위스 취리히 FIFA 본부에서 승부조작과 불법 베팅 근절에 힘을 모으기로 합의했다"고 밝혔다.

이번 합의로 FIFA는 향후 10년간 첫 2년은 매년 400만 유로를, 나머지 8년간은 매년 150만 유로를 기부해 불법 베팅과 승부조작의 핵심으로 지목돼온 아시아 불법 도박단 소탕에 나서기로 했다.

블래터 회장은 "승부조작은 스포츠의 근간을 흔드는 행위"라며 "FIFA는 모든 역량을 총동원해 승부조작 퇴치에 나서겠다"고 강조했다.

그는 이어 "승부조작이 의심되면 팬들도 축구장을 외면하게 된다"며 "그런 일이 벌어지면 지금껏 FIFA가 일궈온 신뢰와 모든 업적이 수포로 돌아가게 된다"고 덧붙였다.

노블 사무총장 역시 "승부조작에 나서는 사람들은 거짓과 폭력적인 방법으로 돈을 끌어모으고 있다"며 "범죄자들은 마약밀매보다 승부조작에 더 쉽게 빠지고 있다"고 지적했다.
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