FIFA, UEFA considering a ban on in-game betting

PanARMENIAN.Net - FIFA and UEFA are considering a ban on in-game betting, saying it represents a bigger threat of manipulation than the more conventional gambling on results.

Marco Villiger, head of legal affairs at world soccer's ruling body FIFA, and Gianni Infantino, general secretary of European counterparts UEFA, expressed concern over betting on things like the next free kick, throw-in or yellow card.

"These live bets are a problem," said Villiger on March 25 at a conference on early warning systems designed to alert soccer authorities to irregular betting patterns and possible match-fixing. “It's very easy to manipulate if you contact a player and tell him to kick the ball into touch at the start.”

UEFA President Michel Platini has described match-fixing as the biggest scourge facing the sport.

European soccer's governing body monitors 29,000 matches a year - including under-21 internationals, Europa League qualifiers and second division fixtures - for irregular betting which could indicate a game has been fixed.

FIFA is investigating two friendly internationals played in the Turkish resort of Antalya last month - Latvia v Bolivia and Estonia v Bulgaria - where a total of seven penalties were awarded, one of which was taken twice when the first effort was saved.

"The criminal organizations are getting around the measures we introduced because the early warning system works for the results," said Infantino.