Weekly integrity in sport update from INTERPOL 8-14 February 2016

In this week's media recap we see two match-fixing investigations including Croatia and the Netherlands/Germany, as well as several basketball players and coach being convicted in France for their involvement in illegal betting.

We also see the commencement of a Council of Europe project "Kick Crime Out Of Sport" (KCOOS) funded by the EU, with international and regional organizations are synergizing efforts to tackle match-fixing worldwide.

CURRENT INVESTIGATION

Croatia

The national anti-graft USKOK bureau said it was probing Zdravko Mamic and six other people, including his brother Zoran, who is Dinamo coach, son Mario and former director Damir Vrbanovic. Zagreb: Dinamo Zagreb chief Zdravko Mamic resigned on Tuesday a day after Croatian national anti-graft prosecutors opened another multi-million-euro probe against him. Mamic, considered the most powerful man in Croatian football, told reporters he was stepping down as executive director to allow the club to move forward. But the controversial 56-year-old said he would remain as an advisor to the Croatian champions and argued the probes against him were politically motivated "to destroy Dinamo and the Mamic family". "I'm jailed every now and then without any concrete evidence," Mamic, who has already been detained twice, told a press conference. On Monday, the national anti-graft USKOK bureau said it was probing Mamic and six other people including his brother Zoran, who is Dinamo coach, son Mario and former director Damir Vrbanovic. They are alleged to have embezzled nearly 70 million kunas (nine million euros, $10.3 million) of Dinamo Zagreb's money through fictitious deals related to player transfers. There are also being probed for allegedly giving and receiving bribes, tax evasion and other offences to the tune of 17 million euros. Mamic was Dinamo Zagreb executive president since 2011 and has held top positions in the club since the early 1990s.

Source: AP, "Dinamo Zagreb Boss Zdravko Mamic Quits Amid Corruption Allegations ", 9 February 2016, NDTV News, https://sports.ndtv.com/football/news/255349-dinamo-zagreb-boss-zdravko-mamic-quits-amid-corruption-allegations

Netherlands

A Dutch national has been arrested in Germany as part of an investigation into fixing football matches, the Volkskrant reports on Monday. A warrant for his arrest was issued earlier. The German authorities did not disclose the man’s identity but he is thought to be Daniel van ‘t H, who has been under suspicion of trying to bribe several German players to throw games. He is said to have worked with Dutchman Paul R, extradited to Germany last year on suspicion of involvement in large-scale match-fixing in 2008 and 2009. R has denied any involvement but admits to being an active gambler. Known as ‘Rooie Paul’, he hails from Noordwijk and had been in jail in the Netherlands for fencing stolen paintings. He is currently appealing against that sentence. According to Voetbal International, German player René Schnitzler claims he was offered thousands of euros by R to throw a match with his old club FC Sankt Pauli. The Volkskrant says Van ‘t H is also thought to have manipulated three Sankt Pauli games in 2008. His lawyer has declined to comment. Van ‘t H is also under investigation for organising illegal betting in the Netherlands.

Source: AP, "Dutchman arrested in Germany on match-fixing charges", 8 February 2016, Dutch News, https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2016/02/84647-2/

ILLEGAL BETTING

France

Paris: Six basketball players and a coach have received punishments ranging from community service to bans for betting on ProA and ProB games in France, the National Baskeball League (LNB) said on Friday. The cases, however, were found not to relate to match-fixing which shook French handball in 2012 and football last year. "After studying the cases and hearing the players and coaches on January 29 it turned out that the sports bets carried out were not intended to change the normal and fair course of competition," LNB statement read. Former France international Stephen Brun received the stiffest penalty with the player of ProA side Cholet getting a 10-match ban, of which five were suspended, and fined 1,000 euros ($1,124). Cholet coach Jerome Navier was ordered to carry out three activities to raise awareness of betting in sport.

Source: AP, "Six Players, Coach Penalised For Betting in France ", 12 February 2016, NDTV Sports, https://sports.ndtv.com/basketball/news/255440-six-players-coach-penalised-for-betting-in-france

Wednesday, 17 February 2016