UEFA integrity officers discuss corruption in football

PanARMENIAN.Net - UEFA integrity officers from several countries have met in Skopje to discuss their contribution to UEFA's tireless campaign to combat match-fixing and corruption in football.

UEFA's determination to protect football from the scourge of match-fixing and to punish those found guilty has been emphasized at the European governing body's inaugural regional Integrity Officers seminar in Skopje.

According to UEFA official website, integrity officers from the national associations of Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia joined with UEFA in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's capital to look at the progress of the campaign against match-fixing, examine work being done in the various countries and consider strategies to pursue these efforts into the future.

Following a UEFA Executive Committee decision two years ago, UEFA introduced integrity officers, who are liaison officers between the football authorities and state law enforcement agencies in relation to suspected match-fixing. The integrity officers exchange information and experience with the UEFA administration, monitor disciplinary proceedings and coordinate relevant action, as well as organizing education programs for players, referees and coaches.

The integrity officers in Skopje heard that UEFA was giving match-fixing awareness presentations to players, referees, coaches and administrators to warn them of potential dangers if they became involved in match-fixing. UEFA is also working closely with state authorities, and had opened a hotline and reporting platform to enable people to contact UEFA if they had information on match-fixing.