Football Match-fixing in Asia drop by 21%: Report

Asian Football Confederation has claimed a 21% decline in match-fixing ever since the continental governing body’s tie up with Sportradar in 2013. Sportradar as part of the deal provides ‘integrity services’ to the AFC, including monitoring betting patterns on football matches to identify potential fixes.

“Since 2013, we have witnessed a significant reduction in the number of match-fixing related incidences. Sportradar has been pivotal in driving the decrease in overall figures for illicit activity,” Benoit Pasquier, AFC General Counsel and Director of Legal Affairs, has told Reuters.

“From 2016 we’ve witnessed a decline in match-fixing across Asia by 21 percent and with our efforts in tandem with Sportradar, the preventive measures we’ve introduced have produced positive results.”

Transparency International, an integrity monitoring organisation had estimated the Asian illegal gambling market to be worth $400bn in 2018. Gambling is illegal in many parts of Asia, including the five most populous nations – China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, sports business news platform SportBusiness has reported.

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The report further pointed out that the lower players wages in Asian in comparison to Europe and increasing football fan base in the region had resulted in rise of illegal betting market and increased the threat of major frauds.

“Most of Asia sits in the sweet spot of low wages and high coverage and is, therefore, one of the highest risk areas,” Sportradar’s Director of Intelligence and Investigation Services Oscar Brodkin is quoted as saying by Reuters.

“Player wages in Asia are generally lower compared to places such as Europe but paired with the growing viewership of football in the region, leads to higher stakes allowed on the betting market and thus the opportunity for large-scale fraud.”

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