FIFA extends sanctions against British players, Australian official

FIFA can confirm the worldwide extension of sanctions imposed by the Football Federation Australia (FFA) on four British players (from England) and one Australian official following criminal investigations conducted by Victoria Police in relation to alleged match manipulation.

On 23 September 2013, the FFA imposed sanctions on the five individuals for bringing the game into disrepute by being charged with criminal offences (engaging in conduct and facilitating conduct that corrupts or would corrupt a betting outcome of event or event contingency).

The individuals have been sanctioned with a ban on taking part in any football-related activity, which will continue to apply to them until:

a) in the event that they are convicted of one or more of the criminal charges: notification of the determination by the FFA of what sanction, if any, will be imposed on the individuals as a consequence of that conviction after giving them an opportunity to make a written submission as to application of and form of such sanction; or

b) in the event that they are acquitted of the criminal charges or the charges are withdrawn: 31 December 2015 or such earlier date as the FFA may at that time determine after giving the individuals an opportunity to make a written submission as to a reduced sanction period.

The chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided to extend the sanctions to have worldwide effect in accordance with article 78 paragraph 1(c) and article 136ff of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

The decisions were duly notified to the FFA and AFC, as well as to The FA and UEFA (for the players) on 30 October 2013.

FIFA continues to work closely with its member associations and the confederations to tackle match manipulation. As part of a ten-year programme of collaboration with INTERPOL, regional workshops involving key stakeholders are being held all over the world while recently launched e-learning programmes are also helping to educate players, coaches and referees on the dangers of match manipulation to help them to avoid becoming victims of this threat to football integrity.

Other initiatives include the signing of an integrity declaration by officials, the monitoring of the betting market via FIFA’s subsidiary Early Warning System (EWS) and the setting up of an e-learning ethics tool an integrity hotline and e-mail address and a confidential reporting system.