Council of Europe to introduce treaty aimed at tackling match fixing in football

Sports ministers from across Europe are set to meet in Switzerland on Thursday to introduce a European treaty, containing a series of measures, that is aimed at tackling match fixing in football.

An alert system triggered by suspicious bets would be set up, and international co-operation would be improved. Protection for whistleblowers would also be strengthened, while offending bookmakers might have cash-flows blocked.

The treaty, which has been created by the Council of Europe and has a convention against the manipulation of sports competitions, already has the backing of 12 nations.

The Council of Europe created it in response to a surge in the number of reports of illegal activity, including match fixing.

Nations that sign up would be expected to promote preventive measures, exchange information about suspicious bets at national and international level and target illegal betting operations and take criminal action against those found to be engaged in fraud or coercion.

John Abbott, who is leading an initiative between international police agency Interpol and world governing body FIFA to reduce corruption in football, said earlier this month that he had seen a rapid increase in reports of alleged match fixing around the globe.