The new agreement includes a broader scope of cooperation on how to respond to the new and evolving challenges in the field of organized crime. Important parts of the MoU are the exchange of information and the provision of expertise in the field of major football events, sports corruption, match fixing and money laundering.
The agreement also covers racism, xenophobia and violent extremism, as well as piracy streaming of audiovisual content, “if related to serious or organized crime involving two or more EU Member States”.
With the news over the past two weeks of the referee betting scandal in Turkey (371 referees have betting accounts with one or more of six different betting companies, while 152 of the referees have bet directly on football matches), the extension of the MoU comes as a timely reminder of UEFA’s zero-tolerance policy towards match-fixing and other forms of serious and organized crime.
The memorandum was signed at UEFA headquarters in Nyon by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle.
“As the governing authority for European football, we work closely with European institutions and agencies, including Europol, to ensure the long-term integrity, credibility and sustainability of football at all levels. Through our partnership with Europol, we remain committed to improving our coordinated actions to prevent and tackle the criminal exploitation of our sport,” Čeferin said.
Areas of cooperation include the detection of suspicious transactions and activities surrounding player transfers, investments in clubs, trading in football-related financial assets, sports betting and the awarding and organization of sports competitions. All could be used by criminal gangs or have been used to launder money from other criminal activities.
Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said: “Football offers a universal language that transcends borders and fosters a shared passion among diverse groups of people. At the same time, we must take note of the criminal abuse of this beautiful sport: like any major social movement, football is vulnerable to criminal exploitation. Europol stands ready to support UEFA and all relevant national authorities in ensuring the integrity of this beautiful game.”
UEFA supports the implementation of new EU rules against money laundering in football.
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