European football organisations join forces to combat match fixing

International anticrime and corruption agency  Transparency International, has partnered with European football organisations  Association of European Professional Football League (EPFL) and the German Football League (DFL) to combat match fixing in football.

The organisations are set to publish a special report next month highlighting core concerns in the fight against match fixing

“We strongly believe awareness-raising and education are key to tackling the problem of match-fixing,” said Cobus de Swardt, managing director of Transparency International. “As an anti-corruption organisation with experience helping people say no to corruption, Transparency International can offer support to those in football who have to come to grips with risky situations.”

Frédéric Thiriez, president of the Association of European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) said: “As the common voice of the European Leagues, the EPFL is strongly committed to use all its power and influence to ensure that the integrity of our Leagues’ competitions is fully preserved.”

German Football League (DFL) Chief Executive Christian Seifert commented: “We strongly believe that education and training especially of younger players is a key element of prevention. We want to create a clear understanding and awareness about the dangers and consequences of match-fixing and gambling addiction in order to protect the players and to combat match-fixing.”