Youth League players warned against match-fixing

UEFA is continuing its match-fixing prevention programme with a series of presentations to the 32 teams participating in the group stage of the 2014/15 UEFA Youth League.

The educational programme for this season's competition includes a Respect campaign, anti-racism activities, anti-doping messages and – for the first time – match-fixing prevention presentations.

The presentations, given by the integrity officer of each club's national association, are designed to inform players and staff of the risks they will encounter if they become involved in match-fixing and ways in which they can report suspicious approaches.

The reaction from the players who have received the presentations, many of whom were unaware of the dangers linked to match-fixing, is very positive. In total, over 7,000 young players – about 1,300 of them from the UEFA Youth League – have watched match-fixing prevention presentations from UEFA this term.

Emilio García, UEFA Head of Disciplinary and Integrity, said: "Educating players and match officials is one of the most effective methods of preventing match-fixing and is one of the components of UEFA's zero-tolerance policy towards the manipulation of matches in UEFA and domestic competitions. We are really passionate about extending our educational programme and tools with regard to the fight against match-fixing in the UEFA Youth League."

The main goal of the competition, recently established as a permanent UEFA tournament, is player development. As well as giving individuals the opportunity to develop their skills on the continental stage, the UEFA Youth League affords Europe's best Under-19s the opportunity to travel abroad and experience different environments and cultures.