The Cordovan Football League raised its concerns about a letter that Genius Sports sent to Argentinian club Las Palmas, informing it that the bookmaker will attend the upcoming match with Peñarol.

AFA Secures Data Deal with Genius Sports in June

In June, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) selected Genius Sports as its exclusive official data & streaming partner for all AFA competitions. AFA is the oldest soccer association in South America and acts as the national governing body of soccer in Argentina. It is considered one of the most prestigious associations across the world game and organizes the entire league system, from the Liga Profesional de Futbol (LPF) to Primera D, domestic cup competitions and the men’s, women’s and Olympic national teams. 

Genius Sports acquired the exclusive rights to capture and distribute official AFA data and live video broadcasts for the regulated betting industry, with the aim of increasing the fan base of Argentinian soccer. The operator was granted permission to install cameras at over 100 venues, capturing broadcast streams that will power AFA’s OTT platform. 

Cordovan Football League Flags Letter from Genius Sports

However, betting on soccer results is banned within the borders of Argentina and is only available to fans located outside of the country. This is why the soccer industry in Argentina is not very positive about the collaboration between AFA and the bookmaker. 

A few days ago, the Cordovan Football League (LCF) expressed its concerns about a note from Genius Sports, which announced the Las Palmas soccer club the names of the bookmaker’s personnel assigned to attend an upcoming match with Peñarol. The letter was signed by Joaquín Sarchi, Regional Manager South America. 

Alejandro Daniel Fernández, the president of the LCF, pointed out that although the bookmaker has an agreement with the AFA, the collaboration is only applicable to tournaments organized by that institution and does not involve the leagues, which can negotiate their own agreements autonomously. The LCF also expressed doubts that Peñarol fans in other locations like Romania or Bangkok would be interested in betting on clubs, such as Las Flores or Villa Azalais. 

In accordance with the agreement reached by the AFA for the official matches of the tournaments from different categories, it is made public that the Genius Sport company staff will attend the different stadiums carrying an accreditation granted by the AFA, without the need to obtain any accreditation from the local club.” 

AFA announcement

Genius Sports defines itself as a “sports data provider” and has partnerships with nearly 700 sports organizations around the world. Genius Sports did not provide an explanation about its letter to the Argentinian club.