DILI (25 Nov 2013) – AFC reached another milestone in their fight against match-fixing when they signed an agreement with sports and betting-related data provider Sportradar at AFC House this week.
Under the agreement, Sportradar will monitor a number of competitions including the AFC Champions League, AFC Cup and the 2015 AFC Asian Cup and qualifiers for signs of betting-related suspicious activities.
The agreement was signed by AFC General Secretary Dato’ Alex Soosay and Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl.
“AFC’s partnership with Sportradar is the latest step taken to counter the threat that match-fixing poses to football in Asia,” said Dato’ Alex during the signing ceremony. “This is a historic development in AFC’s fight against match manipulation. It is also a very crucial element in our campaign against this menace.
“I’d also like to call upon all football stakeholders including our Member Associations to join hands with us in this campaign. FIFA and the Malaysian government are also supportive to our initiatives.
“We look forward to utilise Sportradar’s proven expertise in this field and developing an effective working partnership.”
Koerl praised AFC for taking proactive measures in the fight against match fixing which now involves organised international crime elements.
“Sportradar is prepared to do our part to help AFC fight match-fixing in football,” he said. “I’d also like to commend the continental football body for being proactive in this endeavour because match manipulation in sports has taken a different twist with the involvement of sophisticated international organised crime organisations.
“Sportradar is honoured to have the opportunity to utilise our technology and expertise to work closely with AFC to help protect the integrity of Asian football.”
AFC takes zero tolerance approach towards corruption in football and with this new endeavour, AFC are being proactive by installing a robust integrity programme.
The AFC have previously taken various other measures to protect the integrity of the Asian game including setting up an internal task force and the new Integrity in Sport Department, creating awareness during professional player seminars under its Kick Off development programme and co-hosting the INTERPOL International Conference – Match-Fixing: The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game in February.
