The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has launched a new program to combat match-fixing and protect the integrity of professional soccer. The new program is called Fight the Fix (FTF) and will support integrity officers with education.

Teaching Officers to Crack Down On Match-Fixing

UEFA vowed to stand against match-fixing by launching the FTF education program. The initiative is backed by the University of Lausanne’s School of Criminal Justice and will teach integrity officers across European leagues to better identify and recognize match-fixing.

To that end, the FTF program will provide officers with crucial investigation skills they need to solve cases of match-fixing. This will include the ability to spot games that might be fixed, investigate the case and prosecute the wrongdoers.

To boost the program’s efficacy, the initiative will adopt a practical approach, asking program participants to solve a mock match-fixing case. In the process, integrity officers will be able to experience the whole procedure of identifying and prosecuting a match-fixing case from start to finish.

The UEFA already conducted the first session of this program at its HQ in Switzerland. The session was entirely focused on spotting when match-fixing is taking place. The sports association plans to hold its second session online, where it will require participants to investigate the case. The second session is planned for February 2023.

The third and final session will take place at the HQ of the Italian Football Association and will see integrity officers prosecute the case.

The First FTF Session Was Very Successful

UEFA and University of Lausanne representatives spoke about the importance of acting against fixed games. Aleksander Čeferin, president of the soccer union, said that it is unfortunate that a sport as beautiful as soccer continues to be plagued by ill-intended match-fixers. He added that it is crucial to maintain the game’s integrity to keep people involved with the game.

Maintaining trust in the sport means increasing expertise and support for those involved in the fight at national and international levels

Aleksander Čeferin, president, UEFA

Stefano Caneppele, an associate professor at the University of Lausanne and Angelo Rigopoulos, UEFA’s MD of integrity, noted that the first FTF session was very successful. They said that the program brought together knowledge from leading academics and international sports federations to teach European integrity officers how to better tackle match-fixing.

Caneppele and Rigopoulos thanked the speakers who took part in the event, as well as the participants for their commitment.