Spanish regulator teams up with football association to combat match-fixing
DGOJ and Association of Spanish Footballers ink joint initiative to tackle “one of the greatest threats” in football
Spain’s General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) has joined forces with the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) to establish a collaboration framework against match-fixing in Spain.
The framework aims to combat match-fixing among players through education, research and training initiatives.
It provides for the creation of a jointly operated communication channel between the DGOJ and the AFE for education-led initiatives, seminars and awareness campaigns, across media networks and within physical changing rooms.
“Both organisations consider that corruption linked to the manipulation of sports competitions and betting fraud is a phenomenon that undermines the interests of the participants and operators of the sector,” the DGOJ said in a statement.
“This constitutes one of the greatest threats that loom over football, since it violates their essential values and can alienate athletes and fans from their environment,” it added.
The framework provides for data sharing between the two bodies, as well as the creation of a monitoring commission on which both bodies will each have representation.
The monitoring commission will be charged with researching the effectiveness of current campaigns as well as proposing amendments or new initiatives where applicable.
Spanish football clubs, which have been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, will soon be subject to another potentially damaging revenue hit at the end of the season when a blanket ban on all sponsorships by gambling operators kicks in.
The ban scheduled to become law in 2021 has been widely opposed by La Liga clubs and gambling trade bodies, including Jdigital and the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA).
The EGBA claimed the advertising measures favour state-owned gambling operators, which the trade body highlighted as contributing the lion’s share of gambling revenue and the biggest proportion of problem gamblers.