UEFA, FAs discuss match-fixing inquiry

Following Tuesday's meeting at UEFA Headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, with the nine national football associations named last week by German authorities as having domestic league matches under investigation, and based on the information that a number of European fixtures were also being investigated, UEFA General Secretary, Gianni Infantino, issued the following statement:

Seven club competition fixtures
"From the original list of around 40 fixtures in Europe that were considered suspicious in terms of results, UEFA is today further investigating seven European club competition fixtures under its jurisdiction in more detail. The five clubs involved are KF Tirana (ALB), FC Dinaburg (LVA), KS Vllaznia (ALB), NK IB Ljubljana (SVN) and Budapest Honvéd FC (HUN). The matches concerned are:

• UEFA Champions League second qualifying round: Stabæk IF-KF Tirana
(21.07.2009)
• UEFA Europa League second qualifying round: Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv FC-FC Dinaburg (16.07.2009)
• UEFA Europa League second qualifying round: FC Dinaburg-Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv FC (23.07.2009)
• UEFA Europa League second qualifying round: KS Vllaznia-SK Rapid Wien (23.07.2009)
• UEFA Europa League second qualifying round: SK Rapid Wien-KS Vllaznia (16.07.2009)
• UEFA Europa League third qualifying round: NK IB Ljubljana-FC Metalurh Donetsk (06.08.2009)
• UEFA Europa League third qualifying round: Fenerbahçe SK-Budapest Honvéd FC (30.07.2009)

UEFA's own investigation
"Irrespective of the above matches, UEFA is today also opening its own investigation into the possible involvement of three referees and one other individual connected to UEFA, in the match-fixing. Contrary to media reports there is no suspicion or investigation into any UEFA administration staff. It is clear that we can make no further comment or speculation into the possible names of any individuals that may be involved until the investigation has been completed.

Full co-operation
"UEFA wishes to stress that it has been co-operating fully with the German police and authorities on the case and indeed, following a request from the German police for information on a number of matches, UEFA was able to assist thanks to its Betting Fraud Detection System that has been monitoring all UEFA competitions and European national league first and second-division matches for irregular betting patterns since July 2009.

Trust in associations
"UEFA will file criminal complaints, together with the relevant national associations, as soon as possible against clubs, officials and/or players in those countries concerned. We have full trust in our national associations to deal with the cases related to their national competitions and will continue to provide them with our full co-operation and assistance."

Reassurance
"At the start people were shocked about the magnitude [of the issue]," Mr Infantino said after the discussions. "I would say that at the end of the meeting there was much more reassurance, because of the fact that we are working together.

Working together
"We have to say, of course, that as a sports governing body, our tools are quite limited in what we can do. We are speaking here about organised crime, about criminal investigations – all things which have nothing to do with the tools that we have. We are dependent on the work that is done by the public authorities, such as the authorities in Bochum. There was reassurance at the end [of the meeting] that we are a team, we are together, we are eradicating this cancer altogether, and that we will kick it out of football.

Tackle the problem
"We have been monitoring the situation since at least 2005, and thanks to the decision of the UEFA Executive Committee [to tackle corruption in football], based on a request by the UEFA President, we have been able to do something and not be unprepared. We will tackle this problem in the best possible way.

Bring it to light
"We would encourage any player, any official, anyone who knows anything to come out, to speak with [UEFA], the national associations, the leagues, the authorities, and to bring it to light," the UEFA General Secretary added.

Declaration following the ad hoc meeting between UEFA and the football associations of Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey.

Following a three-hour meeting at UEFA headquarters regarding the current match-fixing and betting scandal with the objective of an exchange of information, UEFA and the nine associations that were mentioned in the Bochum case issued the following statement:

1. UEFA and the national associations are facing a case of organised crime which exceeds the investigative power of sports jurisdiction. They are grateful to the state authorities for their firm action, also in the interest of sport.

2. UEFA and the national associations will contact the competent authorities in each country to obtain access to the relevant information involving clubs and individuals within their jurisdiction.

3. On behalf of the nine football associations present, UEFA will officially request full access to the entire case file from the public prosecution office in Bochum. According to the competent authorities, this procedure may take several weeks.

4. Until such a file is available, anything published in the press regarding the match-fixing case in Bochum is pure speculation and not conclusive. No comments on individuals or clubs based on this speculation can be made at the current stage of proceedings.

5. UEFA and the nine associations invite any player or official willing to do so to report incidents that may be related with any kind of corruption, fraud or match-fixing to the relevant national football authority or UEFA.

6. UEFA and the national associations will not refrain from taking severe action within their responsibility and UEFA will provide assistance and co-ordinate matters in all procedures whenever necessary.

7. UEFA and the nine associations are fully committed to eradicating these malpractices that are threatening the game. No distinction will be made as to whether this malpractice originates from a player, an official or any other individual.