INTERPOL Integrity in Sport Bi-Weekly Bulletin - 20 November 2018 - 10 December 2018

In Belgium, three players from the country’s U16 women’s team were approached by a Turkish man who offered them $50,000 each to influence the game during an international tournament. Also in Belgium, the federal health minister is considering scrapping social security advantages granted to professional football players, following recent corruption and match-fixing investigations in the country.

In Cyprus, more than 30 friendly games were allegedly fixed from 2016 to 2018. The Cypriot company who arranged the games is suspected to be connected with a senior match-fixing organizer and leader of a Singaporean match-fixing syndicate. In Colombia, women’s Copa Libertadores winners Atlético Huila are said to hand over their entire $55,000 prize money from South America’s football federation CONMEBOL to pay off their men’s team’s debts.

In Indonesia, the country’s soccer association (PSSI) executive committee members announced his resignation following his involvement in a match-fixing case. In Japan, the French regulatory authority for online games (ARJEL – Autorité de régulation des jeux en ligne) banned bets on a Japanese Championship match between Kashima and Sagan Tosu. In South Africa, two British citizens allegedly linked to illegal sports betting and match-fixing syndicates were arrested during the Mzansi Super League match. In the United Arab Emirates, a corrupt approach was reported in the second edition of the T10 League after a member of the support staff of the Bengal Tigers was approached by a person seeking direct contact with the players.

Over the past weeks, several sanctions were applied in tennis, snooker, badminton and football. As well, two men were arrested for organizing cricket fighting in an underground Chinese casino where more than 300 individuals placed bets of $140,000.

In tennis, an Italian player has been banned for life and fined $250,000 USD after being found guilty of match-fixing. In addition, a former Italian tennis player has also been banned from the sport for 10 years and fined $100,000 USD after being found guilty of match-fixing. Also in tennis, a Brazilian player has been provisionally suspended in relation to an investigation by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU). In snooker, two Chinese players have been banned from the sport after being found guilty of match-fixing. One player was banned for 10 years and nine months and the other player was banned for six years. In badminton, the sport’s world body has banned for life and fined a Mauritian council member for alleged misuse of funds, including money intended for an Olympic athlete. In football, a Korean player received a lifetime ban from the Korea Football Association after an attempt to fix a domestic league game. Also in football, Express FC become the second Uganda Premier League club to suspend their captain due to alleged match-fixing.

Recently, the United Kingdom became the 34th Council of Europe member state to sign the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions. The United Nations recently adopted a resolution <https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/News/2018/12/Sport-as-an-enabler-of-sustainable-development-EN.pdf> on Sport as an enabler for Sustainable Development. The Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS) published its Code of Conduct available here <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/d3dd17a9afdcf674100aa8954/files/32be7d84-1646-4e4c-9b7d-c7e546b85718/18_Code_of_Conduct_formatted_final.pdf>. The Brazilian Senate approved a new lottery and sports betting measure. The United States is moving towards more robust regulations in the sports betting market with a new regulatory body Sports Wagering Integrity Monitoring Association (SWIMA). The recent International Partnership Against Corruption in Sport (IPACS) meeting discussed how to manage conflicts of interest in awarding major sporting events to ensure the process is fair and transparent and developed tools to prevent corruption around procurement at sports events and the way infrastructure contracts are awarded.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to initiate a procedure which can lead to the withdrawal of recognition for the International Boxing Association (AIBA). The IOC has also slowed its support for recognizing electronic gaming as a sport. USA Gymnastics filed a bankruptcy petition as it as it attempts to reach settlements in the dozens of sex-abuse lawsuits it faces and to forestall its potential demise at the hands of the US Olympic Committee.

Lastly, two Vietnamese senior police officials were jailed for 10 and nine years after being found guilty of running an underground online gambling ring which raised millions of dollars. A former Guatemalan FIFA executive declared that he was offered hundreds of thousands of dollars in return for his vote for the 2018 World Cup. As well, a FIFA ethics committee judge has been suspended after being arrested over allegations of corruption in Malaysia. Also, Kenyan National Olympic Committee secretary general steps down over corruption cases linked to Rio 2016.

We welcome submissions on best practices, major developments, new trends and relevant articles for publication in the bulletin. We also welcome hard copies of publications that your Organization is producing in the field of sports corruption at the below address.

The next bi-weekly bulletin will be circulated on Monday, 24 December 2018.

Wednesday, 12 December 2018