Asian Football Confederation signs contract with Sportradar
Sportradar is pleased to announce the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) as its latest integrity partner. Under this agreement, Sportradar will monitor a number of competitions including the AFC Champions League, AFC Cup and the 2015 Asian Cup and Qualifiers for signs of betting-related corruption and fraudulent activity.
Written by Ca
The agreement was signed on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur by AFC General Secretary Dato’ Alex Soosay and Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl.
Koerl said, “Sportradar is prepared to do its part to help AFC fight match-fixing in football. 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 General Secretary Dato’ Alex Soosay, said, “AFC’s partnership with Sportradar is the latest step taken to counter the threat that match-fixing poses to football in Asia. We look forward to utilising Sportradar’s proven expertise in this field and developing an effective working partnership”.
The recent football match-fixing scandal in Australia perfectly highlights the benefits of Sportradar’s extensive skills, technology and knowledge in this field; not only did it detect suspected manipulated matches but its unique systems and databases were used to warn the authorities in advance of individuals of interest registering to play in their leagues. The seriousness of this case was highlighted in late October when FIFA extended the Australian football-related activity ban imposed on the four players and one official involved in the case to apply worldwide.
This case, along with other recent issues in sports around the world, reflects the true global threat posed by match-fixing in the 21st century. Those responsible are employing ever more diverse methods and targeting previously unaffected countries and sports in a bid to maximise illicit betting profits. AFC are being proactive by installing a robust integrity program and the relationship with Sportradar will be a vital step in safeguarding the integrity of Asian football in the future.