UEFA’s Effective Anti-Match-Fixing Measures Ensure Clean 2024 EUROs
UEFA has announced that no suspicious betting activity or match-fixing concerns were detected during the 2024 EUROs. This outcome is a result of a comprehensive anti-match-fixing action plan implemented by the governing body.
Comprehensive Action Plan
To achieve these results, UEFA developed a bespoke action plan focused on education, prevention, monitoring, and intelligence gathering.
The plan was informed by lessons learned from previous tournaments and involved cooperation with various organizations to enhance its effectiveness.
Education and Awareness Initiatives
All 24 teams participating in the tournament attended anti-match-fixing awareness sessions. These sessions were tailored to each team, with presentations designed to address recent trends and the importance of reporting any suspicious approaches.
UEFA’s anti-match-fixing unit emphasized customizing content to maximize its impact, ensuring that players received information relevant to their national contexts.
Training for Match Officials
Tournament match officials also participated in tailored integrity briefings during their preparatory workshop in Frankfurt in May.
These briefings served as refresher courses, highlighting the risks associated with match-fixing approaches via social media and recent trends such as spot-fixing.
Annual Anti-Match-Fixing Working Group Meeting
On 5 July, UEFA’s European football anti-match-fixing working group held its annual meeting in Hamburg. Core representatives included UEFA, the Council of Europe, the Group of Copenhagen, Europol, and Interpol, among others. The meeting provided a platform for integrity experts to discuss milestones, challenges, and recent trends over the past 12 months.
The group also reviewed the results of UEFA’s three-year anti-match-fixing action plan, which concluded at the end of the 2023/24 season.
Key Takeaways and Future Directions
The meeting underscored the importance of ongoing cooperation and the need for continued vigilance against match-fixing.
By sharing insights and strategies, the group aims to strengthen their collective efforts to maintain the integrity of football.
