INTERPOL Integrity in Sport Bi-Weekly Bulletin - 28 November 2016-11 December 2016

In this edition of the bi-weekly bulletin, we have quite a few interesting articles regarding match-fixing, best practices, and sanctions. Among the articles, it has been reported that match-fixing which took place in 2011 were part of a plot involving a terrorist network in Turkey.

We have another case of match-fixing in E-sports in South Korea. It appears that match-fixing in E-sport is becoming a phenomenon.

The McLaren report was published recently regarding doping in Russia, as reported by several media sources.

As the year draws to a close and a new one starts, the Integrity in Sports Unit is still involved in many events around the world in the upcoming month to raise awareness on the severity of match-fixing, among other crimes in sports.

INVESTIGATIONS

Spain

Police in Spain have arrested 34 people in connection with a suspected match-fixing ring in both Spain and Portugal. The arrested include six tennis players, the country's interior ministry said, without identifying any of the individuals. They are accused of deliberately arranging the loss of tennis games in at least 17 different events. Authorities said their earnings from the manipulation were over €500,000 (£420,420). A police spokesperson told the AFP news agency that players were offered between €500 (£419) and €1,000 (£837) to throw matches. "Sometimes they promised €500 and in the end only paid €50. The players were above all the victims," he added. The players involved are relatively lower-ranked - all are outside the top 800 worldwide. In January, a joint investigation by the BBC and Buzzfeed News found widespread evidence of match-fixing at the top levels of world tennis. The revelations included 16 players who have ranked in the top 50 during the past decade, but were repeatedly flagged to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) over suspicions they had thrown matches. All of the players, including winners of Grand Slam titles, were allowed to continue competing.

Source: "Tennis match-fixing: Spain arrests six players, 28 others", 1 December 2016, BBC News, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38172183

SENTENCES/SANCTIONS

Albania

UEFA is preparing to impose another Champions League ban on Albanian club Skenderbeu in an ongoing match-fixing investigation. A one-season exclusion imposed on the six-time defending Albania champion this year was a "preliminary ban," the head of UEFA's disciplinary and integrity unit, Emilio Garcia, said on Wednesday. "The UEFA disciplinary bodies are considering real disciplinary measures," Garcia said at a panel session on match-fixing at the International Sports Convention. Garcia said the initial case prosecuted by UEFA was based on suspected fixing of two Champions League qualifiers and two Europa League group-stage games in 2015. UEFA also suspects Skenderbeu of being involved in fixing around 50 domestic matches since 2011. UEFA's ban on Skenderbeu for the 2016-17 season was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in July based on evidence of irregular betting patterns. "It is the first time we were brave enough to put together a series of (betting) reports before the CAS," the UEFA lawyer said. In June, Skenderbeu said it had been "unfairly suspended" by UEFA and would appeal to the Swiss-based sports court. After the CAS verdict, UEFA removed Skenderbeu from the Champions League before facing Hungarian champion Ferencvaros in the second qualifying round. Playing away to Crusaders of Northern Ireland in July 2015, Skenderbeu led 2-1 in the second-leg game, and 6-2 on aggregate, before conceding two goals in stoppage time. Five goals scored in a game is a popular and lucrative "total goals" bet. In a Europa League match at Sporting Lisbon in October 2015, Skenderbeu had a player sent off in the first half when a deliberate handball earned a second yellow card, then conceded two goals from penalties before halftime, and eventually lost 5-1. "The numbers don't lie and the betting patterns don't lie," Garcia said, adding that CAS judges agreed betting monitoring "is a reliable means of evidence." Skenderbeu is currently well-placed to qualify for next season's Champions League on merit. It is second in the Albanian league on goal difference.

Source: Graham Dunbar, "Albanian champion faces further UEFA ban for match-fixing", 8 December 2016, The Daily Progress https://www.dailyprogress.com/albanian-champion-faces-further-uefa-ban-for-match-fixing/article_fff1c301-b5c6-5357-94ec-dc21e7948917.html

South Africa

Former South African football boss Kirsten Nematandani was banned for five years by Fifa's ethics committee on Thursday in connection with a match-fixing scandal involving his country's national team in 2010. The global soccer body's ethics watchdog also handed life bans to former Zimbabwe Football Association official Jonathan Musavengana and former Togo national team coach Banna Tchanile for alleged bribery and corruption violations connected to the same case. Nematandani, head of the South African Football Association (Safa) from 2009 until 2013, had violated articles on general conduct, loyalty and disclosure, Fifa said. Musavengana and Tchanile breached rules on bribery and corruption and Fifa said that it would publish the terms of their decisions on its website as they had "failed to provide fax numbers". Tchanile had already been banned from soccer for three years by his country's federation after taking a team masquerading as the Togo national side to play a friendly with Bahrain in 2010. None of the three could be reached for comment. Investigations concentrated on warm-up matches South Africa played against Thailand, Bulgaria, Colombia and Guatemala in May 2010 ahead of the World Cup which the country hosted. Match-fixing is often organised by betting syndicates who make money by correctly gambling on the result of the game they have manipulated. In 2012, Chris Eaton, then Fifa's head of security, said convicted Singapore-based match-fixer Wilson Perumal's company had provided the match officials for the four games. South Africa usually invites match officials from neighbouring countries to handle home friendlies but agreed to Perumal's offer to fly in officials from Kenya, Niger and Togo for the four matches. The South Africa team were handed two disputed penalties in a 2-1 victory over Colombia in Johannesburg. One of the spot kicks was ordered to be retaken twice after the initial efforts were saved. Colombia's goal also came from a penalty. Four days later South Africa were awarded another two spot kicks in a 5-0 win over Guatemala in Polokwane.

Source: "Ex-Safa boss banned over match-fixing", 8 December 2016, Super Sport, https://www.supersport.com/football/south-africa/news/161208/ExSafa_boss_banned_over_matchfixing

Tuesday, 13 December 2016