FIFA and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have together launched a campaign to encourage football to speak out against match-fixing.
The two parties have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in a bid to tackle the problem together.
The launch of the partnership on 9 December coincided with International Anti-Corruption Day, and also aims to raise awareness about FIFA’s confidential reporting platforms.
The campaign aims to encourage players, coaches, officials and others within the game to use the confidential platforms available to report approaches by suspected match-fixers.
“This new joint campaign between FIFA and UNODC, just a few weeks after the signing of our memorandum of understanding, is a strong message about our absolute commitment and determination to eliminating match-fixing and corruption in football,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
“In these unprecedented times marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential that we work together with partners such as the UNODC to ensure that players, coaches and officials have the confidence to speak out against match-fixing, as well as any other integrity issues.”
Confidential reports can be submitted via the FIFA website, the FIFA Integrity App, or through a dedicated email service.
The campaign has been backed by several former male and female professional footballers, including Ivan Cordoba, Sun Wen, Wael Gomaa and Clementine Toure.
“Sports and sporting events are vital to our well-being, and they have a crucial role to play in helping our societies and economies recover from the pandemic,” added UNODC executive director Ghada Waly.
“That is why we must work together to ensure that sport recovers with integrity.”
