Financial fair play and fighting match-fixing
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Article summary
Financial fair play and the fight against illegal betting and match-fixing are two topics that will be occupying a key role in UEFA's activities in the coming period, after a hectic week of activity in Copenhagen came to a close.
Article top media content
Article body
Financial fair play and the fight against illegal betting and match-fixing are two topics that will be occupying a key role in UEFA's activities in the coming period, after the European football governing body closed its hectic week of activity in Copenhagen.
Control panel
Earlier this week, UEFA's Executive Committee approved the creation of a Club Financial Control Panel in a first step to improve financial fair play in the UEFA club competitions. UEFA President Michel Platini explained the campaign in favour of financial fair play after the XXXIII Ordinary UEFA Congress in the Danish capital on Wednesday.
New era
"We are fighting for financial fair play to have more transparency and ensure a proper running of our competitions," Mr Platini said. "Our wish is that clubs do not spend more than they earn. There are a lot of club owners asking me to do something. They have had enough of paying a lot of money [to cover] their clubs' debts. We are at the start of a new era and will pursue our aims 200 per cent." Click here for more details of the UEFA Executive Committee decision.
Fighting match-fixing
UEFA has also pledged its full commitment to fighting illegal betting and the fixing of matches, a point made strongly by Mr Platini in his address to the Copenhagen Congress. "If results are fixed in advance, football has no further reason to exist," he said. "We know match-fixing is a serious danger in the football world, consequently we have put in place, with all the national associations, an early-warning system to combat this. [The system] will be financed by UEFA, and all the first and second division and cup matches will be monitored."
Level of commitment
UEFA General Secretary David Taylor added: "We have increased our number of disciplinary inspectors. We have just appointed two with expertise in these areas that we are concerned about. UEFA is now setting up a betting fraud detection system across Europe. As from next season we will be monitoring 27,000 matches so you can see the level of commitment we are putting behind this project. We are determined to root out this problem."