Weekly integrity in sport update from INTERPOL 7-13 March 2016
In this week's media recap we can read that current investigations are presently under way with soccer in Zimbabwe where one of the top officials from the Zimbabwe's soccer federation is suspected to have attempted to fix two upcoming matches.
In the meantime at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai, senior representatives from all the world recognize the importance of playing sport at school in developing values, responsibility and discipline among children so the integrity in sport shall be properly safeguarded.
CURRENT INVESTIGATION
Zimbabwe
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe's soccer federation suspended one of its top officials on Tuesday on suspicion he was attempting to fix two upcoming African Cup of Nations qualifiers. Zimbabwe Football Association executive committee member and former national team player Edzai Kasinauyo is suspected to have been working with an unnamed syndicate to fix Zimbabwe's home and away qualifiers against Swaziland later this month, the federation said in a statement. "Mr. Kasinauyo has been fingered in the match-fixing scam and investigations are going on. Zimbabwean soccer has been rocked by a match-fixing scandal before, when nearly 100 players and officials were suspended over fixed national team games on tours to Asia between 2007 and 2009. The federation's chief executive at the time was banned for life, but had her ban lifted this year. While those fixed games in Asia were friendlies, the allegations against Kasinauyo relate to qualifying for Africa's top tournament." Kasinauyo didn't answer calls on Tuesday to his cellphone from The AP seeking comment. Kasinauyo, who was elected to the ZIFA executive committee only in December, was in Zimbabwe's squad for the 2006 African Cup of Nations, the last time the country qualified for the continent's top tournament. Swaziland, a small southern African nation surrounded by South Africa, is the surprise leader of their African Cup qualifying group, which also contains Guinea and Malawi.
Source: AP, "Top Zimbabwe soccer official investigated for match-fixing", 8 March 2016, Mail Online, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3482685/Top-Zimbabwe-soccer-official-investigated-match-fixing.html
GOOD PRACTICE
World
Simply playing sport in schools may not be the best way to instil virtues like character and resilience in pupils, a leading education expert has said. Children gain these vital social skills by learning in environments that value responsibility, discipline and encourage them to work together, according to Andreas Schleicher. Speaking ahead of the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai this weekend, Mr Schleicher, director for education and skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), said there are many ways to teach character as part of everyday schooling His comments come amid growing calls for UK schoolchildren to be taught the softer skills they will need later in life - such as leadership and teamwork. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has previously suggested that learning traits like perseverance and confidence are "equally important" to teenagers as gaining good exam results. Ministers have announced a grant scheme to fund activities to help instil these characteristics, including an initiative launched last summer bringing rugby coaches from Premiership clubs into schools to work with disaffected children. At the time, Mrs Morgan said that all youngsters should learn the values of the sport, such as how to "bounce back from setbacks", show integrity in victory and defeat and respect others. But Mr Schleicher said: "I don't see any reason why rugby would be a better way of teaching character than mathematics. I think teaching character has a lot to do with how we behave, what behaviour we value." For the first time this year, the OECD's international Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests - which look at how teenagers around the world are doing in areas like reading and maths, will be looking at social skills, Mr Schleicher said, adding that he did not know which country would come out on top. Character education is high on the agenda for many countries now, he suggested, but little has been done so far to measure its impact. A Department for Education spokesman said: "Sport helps develop positive behaviours like fair play and leadership and teaches young people how to bounce back from defeat, how to respect others and how to work together to achieve amazing feats."
Source: AP, "Expert plays down role of sport in forging character in students", 12 March 2016, Mail Online, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-3488831/Expert-plays-role-sport-forging-character-students.html
- African Cup of Nations Anti-Corruption Baseball China Football Global Education and Skills Forum INTERPOL Japan Match-Fixing Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) V-League Vietnam Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA)
