June 10 – With the scourge of match-fixing continuing to rear its ugly head in the European game, the Bulgarian Football Union (BFS) has taken a proactive approach to the issue by hosting the “Integrity in Football in Eastern Europe” workshop.
Organised by BFS Integrity Officer Mario Kosturkov and the head of Sustainable Strategic Development and Social Programs Sunny Debarska-Paneva, the event played host to various administrators from across the European game.
Representatives from UEFA, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Kosovo and Macedonia were present at the workshop alongside FIFPro Vice President Mila Hristova, Bulgarian government officials and key members of the betting industry.
“We have undertaken this first-of-its-kind initiative in Eastern Europe to strengthen the discussion and support the efforts of all stakeholders to keep football clean,” explained BFS Executive Director Andrey Petrov – who opened the gathering.
“Match-fixing not only undermines the trust of stakeholders, but is also an illegal act that can end the careers of players. I am confident that with this event we have deepened the cooperation between the federations of the Balkan Peninsula, the competent authorities and the bookmakers. Let us preserve integrity in football.”
Several stakeholders produced presentations for the workshop including UEFA Integrity Investigator Massimiliano Michenzi, the Vice President of sports data analysis company Sportradar Alexandros Gerontikos and various governmental departments such as the National Revenue Agency (NRA) and Anti-Malpractice Unit.
The NRA shared its knowledge on betting markets, regulations, policies and problems, and national initiatives.
Also during the event, international knowledge exchanges were made in the fight against match manipulation, as well as cooperative discussions between governing bodies, bookmakers and FIFPro.
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1749627732labto1749627732ofdlr1749627732owred1749627732isni@1749627732ofni1749627732