Preventing Corruption in Sport

For the good of the game, this must be so. Unfortunately, the spate of recent match-fixing scandals has cast doubt on this, even at the World Cup, and could threaten the long-term appeal of the sport. Wolfgang Feldner, the head of strategy at FIFA, world football’s governing body, suggested that even its Early Warning System, which monitors suspicious betting patterns, could not wipe out match-fixing altogether. In May 2010, Michel Platini, governing president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), called for an international police task force to fight corruption in sports, especially in football, in an interview.

But are data screening of betting patterns and policing enough? Investigations and monitoring may catch a few villains, but it will not win the war on corruption in football or any sport. The best defense for the long-term has to be prevention. That applies not only to match-fixing, but the potential for corruption in all areas, from stadium construction and bidding for large competitions like the World Cup, to running a club using good governance principles.

Corruption – especially match-fixing – is a two-person crime. It needs a bribe payer and a bribe taker. While the payers in match-fixing usually come from outside the sport – traditional organised crime — the bribe takers are part of the clubs and associations. Calling for better policing only addresses one side of the equation; the sports authorities, around the world, must take on the responsibility to tackle corruption risks within their own organisations at regional, national and local levels.

This requires proper risk management and prevention programmes to raise awareness throughout the football family, from the more vulnerable players and referees to club administrators. Educational programmes, whistle blower hotlines and helpdesks as well as internal controls and standardised codes of ethics are essential for real improvement.

Before the kick-off in South Africa, FIFA for the first time warned of the potential of match-fixing. But awareness-raising cannot be a one-day issue. All sports’ governing bodies, including FIFA, UEFA and outside of football, the International Olympic Committee, for example, must take on the responsibility to introduce anti-corruption measures at all levels within their member organisations. They must modernize their structures in order to achieve transparency and integrity, and demonstrate zero-tolerance against all kinds of corruption.

That, in the long run, has to be the game-winning goal.

In 2006 TI Germany established a working group on sport and corruption issues to raise awareness and bring the issue to the international level. In March 2011, TI will take part in a conference organised by FIFA’s Early Warning System and the Swiss Sport Forum. TI has published a working paper and several articles including:

Blowing the whistle on match-fixing
Sustainability reporting in major sporting events
Red Card: Time to expel corruption from the game