FIFPRO Legal Director Roy Vermeer and Director Member Services Frederique Winia spoke during a conference in Tallinn, Estonia, in front of an audience of the country’s law enforcement professionals including officers, prosecutors and judges.
Vermeer and Winia talked about the prevalence of match-fixing in football, showed examples of how players were approached by match-fixers, discussed rights and obligations of players, and explained FIFPRO’s efforts to prevent players getting involved in match-fixing, including its Red Button app.
The presentation is part of the IntegriSportNext Erasmus + Project, which is organised by CSCF and also includes contributions from parties such as the Council of Europe, Interpol and the Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS).
As a supporting partner of this initiative, FIFPRO plays a valuable role in all six Awareness Raising Sessions to be held until April 2022, with Vermeer and Winia set to share their experiences with law enforcement professionals in Cyprus, Finland, Georgia, Malta and Sweden as well. FIFPRO member unions in Cyprus (PASP), Finland (JPY), Malta (MFPA) and Sweden (Spelaforeningen) will participate in conferences organised in their country.
“It was very good to be here and to be able to explain all of these law enforcement professionals the players’ perspective,” Vermeer said. “A player doesn’t wake up one day and then decide to manipulate a match. There is always a reason. Too often, players are not the instigators of match-fixing, but forced into a difficult position for various reasons.”
