Combating match-fixing: UAF, Ministry of Youth and Sports, NOC, and clubs hold strategic talks in Kyiv

15.10.2024 18:48

Today in Kyiv, at the House of Football, a meeting took place between the Interdepartmental Working Group "National Platform for Sports Integrity" and the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF), along with representatives from Premier League and PFL clubs, to discuss countering match-fixing in sports.

The meeting included representatives from the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, the UAF, Premier League, and Professional Football League (PFL) clubs, the Women's and Girls' Football Department, the Futsal Association of Ukraine, the Beach Soccer Association of Ukraine, and members of the "National Platform for Sports Integrity".

The event was attended by over 70 participants, and opening remarks were given by Yuriy Muzyka, the First Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and Pavlo Boichuk, the UAF’s First Vice President.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

"On behalf of Minister Matviy Bidnyi, I would like to welcome you. It is truly gratifying to see the broad participation of Ukraine's football community in this room. Match-fixing and manipulation of sports competitions are major challenges in today's sports world. We witness numerous investigations and scandals related to breaches of fair play. It is crucial to enhance legal, institutional, and technical mechanisms to detect violations. Recently, the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the UAF signed a memorandum of cooperation and information exchange aimed at developing collaboration to combat match-fixing in sports. I am confident that only through joint efforts can we achieve the best results," said Yuriy Muzyka.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

"Greetings on behalf of UAF President Andriy Shevchenko. Today, we are gathered for an important discussion that is critical to the development of sports in Ukraine. We are here with representatives from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the National Platform for Sports Integrity, and professional clubs to address match-fixing in sports. I would first like to thank the Ministry for its support and active involvement in this area. The support of the National Olympic Committee and the National Platform for Sports Integrity is also greatly valued. Your commitment to ensuring integrity and transparency in Ukrainian sports is commendable. We look forward to continued cooperation and future joint achievements," emphasized Pavlo Boychuk.

Vincent Ven, head of UEFA’s Match-Fixing Prevention Unit, also addressed the audience via video message.

"I regret that I cannot be with you today, but rest assured that I will visit Ukraine as soon as possible. Today’s meeting focuses on an issue that underpins all competitions, including those under UEFA’s auspices — sports integrity. Football is more than just a game. It is a global language that unites people across the world. However, this unity can be threatened by match-fixing. Integrity in football is paramount, ensuring fairness and competition in the sport. To protect football’s integrity, we must take decisive action against match-fixing. UEFA’s strategy is built on a network of 55 integrity officers, one for each national association, and Ukraine is no exception. I want to thank the UAF for its efforts, especially in these challenging times. It is essential that Ukraine ratified the Macolin Convention (Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions), and is actively developing its national platform for integrity," highlighted Vincent Ven.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

Oleksiy Perevezentsev, the First Vice President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, underscored the NOC’s important role in combating match-fixing.

"The NOC has been an active participant in the National Platform for Sports Integrity since its inception. Match-fixing destroys sports competition, turning it into a tool for commercial gain. Unfortunately, this problem has a widespread impact and devalues sports as a whole. The global sports movement cannot ignore these issues and is actively implementing various tools to fight this negative phenomenon. The primary legal document in this area is the Macolin Convention, ratified by Ukraine among the first countries. We are currently working on strengthening liability for match-fixing under the Criminal Code, and this work will be completed by the end of the year. The International Olympic Committee has also introduced its code, which applies to all sports, prohibiting betting on one’s teams and sharing insider information. Teams must also report any attempts by third parties, participants, referees, or players to influence the outcome of a match. Failure to report such actions is also considered a violation," explained Perevezentsev.

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Andriy Davydenko, head of the UAF’s Ethics and Fair Play Committee, presented on the UAF’s activities in the area of ethics and integrity.

"Today, I am presenting our UAF Committee. I worked for 20 years in the National Police of Ukraine and have spent the last eight years focused on combating match-fixing. In 2018, we had a significant operation that uncovered issues in more than half of the Premier League teams. This led to the largest operation in Ukraine’s history, with over 300 individuals involved in criminal proceedings. Many were detained and punished. Several referees were also detained and later disqualified by the UAF’s Control and Disciplinary Committee. Recently, the Cyberpolice Department inspected 45 regions of Ukraine, revealing numerous cases of match-fixing in esports, table tennis, basketball, and volleyball, as well as in football. We will provide further details in due time. Our UAF team has been working since April 1st, and we have already developed plans and strategies for the future," said Davydenko.

The participants then discussed the issue of match-fixing and other manipulations in sports competitions at both national and international levels, as well as the activities of the "National Platform for Sports Integrity".

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"I believe the club representatives were very attentive to what the speakers were discussing. We understand that people care about these topics, and they are ready to discuss even the unpleasant aspects, such as past suspicions of involvement in manipulations. At the same time, we saw a willingness to fight this problem. We thank the club representatives for their active participation. We hope to establish direct contact with them and work together to eradicate manipulations in football. We are satisfied with the cooperation with the UAF and its leadership’s commitment to uncovering breaches of integrity. There is a clear understanding of the need for preventive and educational efforts, and we work well together in this area," noted Nataliya Radchuk, Secretary of the Interdepartmental Working Group "National Platform for Sports Integrity".

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

"This event was a good opportunity to remind people of the importance of fair play and ethical standards. It highlighted a problem that has not disappeared — corruption in sports, particularly football. This is an opportunity to communicate with clubs and raise awareness of the issue. We have strong legislation, so everything is in place to succeed in this area. The main point is to raise awareness of the consequences so people understand the risks. Match-fixing, like corruption in general, is often tied to organized crime. The UAF’s Ethics and Fair Play Committee is undergoing a restructuring. We are trying to implement educational digital solutions, such as launching a chatbot and presenting a virtual Fair Play Academy, and we aim to continue along the path of digitalization and early prevention of corruption violations," said Andriy Nekrutov, a member of the Ethics and Fair Play Committee.

Representatives of Ukrainian professional clubs also emphasized the importance of such meetings in the fight against match-fixing in sports.

"Fortunately, this problem does not exist at Oleksandriya, and I hope it never will. However, I would like to say that this was a very important and necessary event aimed at improving the situation in our football. I appreciate the modern approach of the new leadership of the Ethics and Fair Play Committee and their openness. We are always ready to cooperate to ensure that there are no issues with match-fixing in our football," said FC Oleksandriya analyst Yevhen Hres.

"I believe today’s meeting was genuinely useful. The issue of match-fixing needs to be addressed, worked on, and kept under control. It is very important. At Kolos, we understand that sport must always have an honest result, and our club stands for football integrity. I think such events should continue, educating people, and organizing conferences on the matter. Work needs to be done not only with club management but also with players and staff," emphasized FC Kolos sports director Vitaliy Lysytskyi.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

"This event was held as part of the implementation of the relevant program by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the NOC, and the UAF. The participation of all club representatives without exception is crucial. It was also a pleasure to meet the new composition of the Ethics and Fair Play Committee. I believe we will work together to implement this program, not just on paper but also in the context of sports competitions in Ukraine. We believe constant measures are necessary to promote fair play and prevent even the desire to engage in match-fixing," said FC Vorskla representative Maksym Pestryak.

"We were very happy to see our colleagues and talk in person. The Ethics and Fair Play Committee reminded us about match-fixing, although it happens much less frequently in Ukraine now than in 2018. These events are very necessary. Face-to-face discussions are always positive. Why do problems with match-fixing occur? Sometimes young footballers, seeing others with better clothes or expensive cars, are tempted to make quick money. If we properly convey the consequences to young players, such incidents won’t happen. Those who want to build a long-term career, rather than live for one day, will understand this," said LNZ Cherkasy technical director Oleksandr Chaban.