Protecting football from match-fixing: Zero Tolerance!

FARE SICUREZZA INSIEME Spoleto, May 29/30 2013

UEFA must protect football from match-fixing – Zero Tolerance!!!

• Match-fixers are individuals from the world of organised crime(the Mafia; Asian triads; Crime syndicates). Financial reward is their only interest.

• The money they use is dirty money, it comes from drug deals; the sale of weapons; theft; prostitution…

• They are dangerous people – This is a form of money laundering !!!

• All UEFA matches and virtually all European 1st and 2nd division / Cup matches are offered by the major betting companies in Europe and Asia: SBObet ; IBCbet ; 188bet have turnovers largely exceeding that of Coca-Cola

0:2

Asia

Asia

Asia

The UEFA BFDS – Betting Fraud Detection System

Integrity Officers

EUROPE ASIA

Bettingcompany

Bettingcompany

Bettingcompany

Bettingcompany

Bettingcompany

Live Bettingspecialists

OtherFDS

partners

UEFA Intelligencedatabase

Risk monitoringAsia

Plausabilitycheck

Domestic Cup Matches

BFDS Report to NA

UEFA Matches

InvestigationDisciplinary andpossible legal proceedings

Domestic League Matches

BFDS Report to NA Real time

Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU)

Why are football matches fixed?

• A club, a player or a referee has financial problems• Players‘ salaries have not been paid for months (salaries of around €250 per month)• A club can receive between € 300’000 to € 500’000 by playing to a pre-arranged

resultto lose the match or concede a certain number of goals

• 2-3 key players are told to play in a certain way and are paid by the match-fixers, orA referee will be told how many goals are to be scored in the match.Usually 3 or more, scored by either of the two teams.

• The match-fixers place massive bets in the Asian betting market (up to € 1’000’000)• The match shows irregular betting patterns.• A few days after the match in question, the outstanding salaries are paid, a referee

receives his payment.• REMEMBER… there is ALWAYS someone on the pitch involved in a fixed match.

A player (or several players) and / or the REFEREE

8

Belgian league match

€ 300’000

English Premier league match

€ 1’000’000

EURO or World Cup

Over € 1’000’000

Stakes in Asia

Question:How much money is bet annually on sport, worldwide

Over € 500 billion- € 500’000’000’000

Question:How much was bet on the 2012 UEFA Champions League final in Asia alone?

Over € 1 billion - € 1’000’000’000

How much money is there in Betting?

FC Barcelona – AC Milan (result 3:1)UEFA Champions League Quarter-finals - Second Leg (03.04.2012)

1 X 2

1.24 5.99 11.61

AHC Home Away

-2.5 1.72 2.29

Totals Over Under

2.5 1.73 2.23

Betting types

Asia

Europe

€ 1’000 bet on FC Barcelona

returns € 1’240

profit € 240

€ 1’000 bet on FC Barcelona

Lose € 1’000

€ 1’000 bet on Over 2.5 goals

returns € 1’730

profit € 730

€ 1’000 bet on AC Milan

returns € 2’290

profit € 1’290

€ 1’000 bet on Under 2.5 goals

Lose € 1’000

Calculated odds – Asian HandicapStatistically proven values based on mathematical probability

AC Milan - FC Barcelona – 20.02.2013

How does it work and who really makes money from it?

• Referees; Players; Club officials and Coaches are contacted to manipulate football matches and are given gifts (watches; computers; women) or are paid in cash (Euros; Dollars; local currency)

• Middle men (runners) from organised crime groups contact players and arrange the fix. These are usually people who have gained the confidence of match officials and players by becoming friendly with them.

• Once the fix has been agreed the criminal groups place massive bets on these matches in Asia where they will double or triple their stake – at no risk.

Match-fixers are dangerous people• Never forget we are dealing with people who have no respect for human

life. • A club president was kidnapped for 10 days on his way home from a

fixed UEFA Champions League qualification match that was unsuccessful.• Former Sangju Sangmu Phoenix coach Lee Soo-Cheol was found

hanging in his apartment after being sentenced in charges related to a fixing scandal in South Korea's K-League.

• Asian police are investigating the suicide of Incheon United goalkeeper Yoon Ki-Won, he was found dead in his car with an envelope containing just €700.

• In November 2011 Russian referee Almir Kayumov tried to commit suicide at his home, he was later taken to a psychiatric hospital and is there to this day.

Match-fixers are dangerous people

What else is UEFA doing to fight match-fixing?• We investigate match-fixing cases and guilty players and match officials will be

sanctioned (ban on exercising any football-related activity)

• We give match-fixing awareness presentations to Players; Referees; Coaches and administrators to warn them of the dangers they face if they become involved in match-fixing.

• We work closely with state authorities who will sanction the offenders (prison sentences; fines)

• We have opened a Hotline and Reporting platform to enable individuals to contact UEFA if they have information concerning match-fixing

• UEFA has banned referees and players from European football for life and excluded clubs from our competitions

• +800 0001 0002 (international free-phone number)

• https://uefa.integrityline.org

• bfds@uefa.ch or integrity@uefa.ch

How to contact UEFA

Integrity Line - Reporting platform - email

Prevention speeches to Youth players / Referees…

Education and prevention initiatives

• FIFPro project «Don’t fix it» (EU funded, UEFA participation)• National Associations programmes:

– Germany, Italy, Norway, Malta, etc., sharing via Integrity Officers Network

• Sportaccord – Tools• High problem awareness –

question how to get the message across

FIFA investigates Nigeria - Argentina friendly over irregular betting patterns…Concerns were raised about betting patterns during the game, which was won 4-1 by Nigeria, specifically before the final goal was scored. This action takes place in the 98th minute!

FIFA investigates Nigeria - Argentina friendly over irregular betting patterns…Concerns were raised about betting patterns during the game, which was won 4-1 by Nigeria, specifically before the final goal was scored. This action takes place in the 98th minute!

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Match-fixingThe big puzzle

If a player; a referee or a coach is found guilty by UEFA of match-fixing, or attempting to fix a match

He will receive a red card

‘Zero Tolerance’

FOR LIFE ! ! !

Disciplinary Regulations (new edition 2013)

Main requirements (zero tolerance):

•Match-fixing provisions•No betting on competition matches•Obligation to report•Statutes of limitation•Appropriate sanctions•Burden of proof

Integrity Matters – Disciplinary Regulations

• UEFA General Terms and Conditions for Referees… any Referee who is the target or considered to be the target of attempted bribery shall notify UEFA immediately.

• Champions League Regulation

2.04 To be eligible to participate in the competition, a club must fulfill the following criteria:…g) it must not have been directly and/or indirectly involved, …, in any activity aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of a match at national or international level and must confirm this to the UEFA administration in writing.

2.05 If, on the basis of all the factual circumstances and information available to UEFA, UEFA concludes to its comfortable satisfaction that a club has been directly and/or indirectly involved, …, in any activity aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of a match at national or international level, UEFA will declare such club ineligible to participate in the competition.

Cases

UEFA vs. FK Pobeda, A. Zabrcanec, N. Zdraveski

•1st Qualifying Round UEFA Champions League 2004/200513 July 2004 (Skopje) FK Pobeda 1 - 3 FC Pyunik

•Rumours and various allegations that match was fixed led to investigation (Betting patterns, interrogations, anonymous witness)

•Sanctions: – FK Pobeda: eight years ban from UEFA competitions (upheld by CAS in

2009)– A. Zabrcanec (President): life time ban from football activities (upheld by CAS)– N. Zdraveski (Captain): acquitted by CAS (not satisfied with evidence)

•CAF position on standard of proof: «to the comfortable satisfaction of the Court having in mind the seriousness of allegation which is made»

Cases

UEFA vs. Oleg Oriekhov (Referee)

•FC Basel 3-1 PFC CSKA Sofia, 5 November 2009 (Group Stage UCL 2009/2010)•Investigation on the bases of the incriminating tapped phone conversations in the Bochum case•Bribbing of the referee for «a home team win with goals in the second half»

•Confirmed CAS position on standard of proof

•Sanction: Life time ban of football activities for Mr. Oleg Oriekhov (upheld by CAS 2010)

Cases

UEFA vs. Novo Panic (referee)

•U21 Switzerland vs. Georgia, 18 November 2009•Match showed suspicious betting patterns. Recorded phone conversations from the Bochum investigations revealed that Panic had been in contact with the members of the criminal organisation

•Sanction: – Panic banned for life from all football related activities (upheld by Appeals

Body 2010)The case was not taken to CAS

Cases

UEFA vs. Mr N. Meszaros and Mr V. Poleksic

•Debreceni VSC 3-4 ACF Fiorentina, 20 October 2009, UCL 2009/2010•Tapped phone conversations from the Bochum investigations suggested that the players were approached and asked to loose the match for a handicap of two goals.•Poleksic (goalkeeper) admitted to have been approached and not have reported the incident

•Sanctions: – V. Poleksic, two year suspension (upheld by CAS 2011)– N. Meszaros, aquitted by CAS (no satisfactory level of proof)

Cases

UEFA vs. K. Sammut, K. Scicluna, St. Wellman

•Norway 4-0 Malta, 2 June 2007, UEFA EURO 2008 Qualification•During the Bochum interrogation the accused match fixers explained how they had fixed the match in Oslo. Irregularities were also reported in the press and the Malta FA and UEFA opened disciplinary procedures. •Statute of limitation for bribery and/or corruption 20 years (UEFA Disciplinary Regulations)

•Sanctions– K. Samut – life time ban (UEFA Appeals Body 2012, case pending before CAS)– K. Scicluna and St. Wellman acquitted (not sufficient evidence)

• If someone asks you to manipulate a match:

•Recognise what is happening

•Resist Say ‘No’

•Report Tell somebody

• Don’t get involved in organised crime!!!

Simple message to Players and Referees and Coaches…

Thank you!