Initiative to be rolled out to players to fight match-fixing
Scotland’s footballers are set to be given the chance to help the international fight against match-fixing.
PFA Scotland, the players’ union, is considering whether to sign up for a new initiative that has been endorsed by FIFA, and backed by UEFA.
The Red Button smartphone app has been developed by world players’ union, FIFPro, to allow members to anonymously report attempts to fix matches.
Tony Higgins, Scotland’s FIFPro representative, revealed: “I was involved in setting this up when heading up an anti-corruption project, Don’t Fix It.
“It was a Finnish experiment, which worked really well, and was then rolled out to be trialled in half-a-dozen countries.
“Now, following encouraging results, we have developed it for use by all our members.
“FIFA have accepted it as one of the tools to fight match-fixing. And Interpol say it is one of the best they have encountered in any sport.
“The player downloads the app on to his phone, and can then easily report anonymously if they are ever approached regarding match-fixing.
“Those reports alert the authorities to potential hot-spots for criminal activity.”
The launch of the app is well-timed, with Interpol reporting an increase in the level of match fixing since Covid-19.
“Match-fixing generally flourishes where there is a desperation for money and people are much more open to financial seduction,” said Higgins.
“There are countries where player salaries have been slashed dramatically, and that creates an area that can be quite lucrative for criminal syndicates.
“You can draw the comparison to normal society, and the prevalence of money-lenders when finances are tight.
“Players feel threatened because the people involved can be gangsters, which often carries the threat of violence.