International Sports Convention, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 20th March 2024
Overview of anti-match-fixing at UEFA
Vincent Ven, Head of Anti-Match-Fixing, UEFA
Vincent Ven said: “One match-fixing case is one too many.”
Ven outlined the strategic pillars of UEFA’s Anti-Match-Fixing Unit. These are: education and prevention; stakeholder engagement; monitoring intelligence and investigations.
Ven outlined that UEFA has been working constantly to update their structure and processes and there is still work to be done. “We need to upgrade all our systems.”
In addition to their legal team, UEFA recruits people with expertise in varied areas including law enforcement and data scientists.
Ven said the approach is: “Train the trainer.” UEFA provides National Associations with education and training and some finance to support integrity investigations.
Called ‘Fight The Fix’, UEFA has held seminars around Europe, and has revamped the anti-match-fixing group that includes representatives of Europol and Interpol. Their objectives are alert management, communication, analysis, data privacy, integrity and confidentiality.
Ven stressed the challenges provided by the gambling industry:
“Most of our investigations are triggered by betting alerts.”
“I just want to ring the alarm bell.”